Environment and Natural Resources Publications

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Governor’s Budget Proposal to Implement The Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (“AB 32”)

March 15, 2007 - Presented to The Environmental Justice Advisory Committee on Implementation of the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006

Hearing Handout

Bond Funding for Flood Protection and Delta-Related Issues

March 13, 2007 - Presented to Assembly Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife

Hearing Handout

Propositions 1C and 84 Bond Implementation: Issues for Legislation

March 13, 2007 - Presented to Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water

Hearing Handout

2007-08 Budget Overview: Resources Agency Departments (Including an Overview of the CALFED Bay-Delta Program)

March 7, 2007 - Presented to Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 3 on Resources

Hearing Handout

Proposition 84 Bond Implementation:Water, Parks and Wildlife Policy/Budget Issues

March 6, 2007 - Presented to Assembly Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife

Hearing Handout

2007-08 Budget Overview: Resources and Environmental Protection (Including an Overview of the CALFED Bay-Delta Program)

March 5, 2007 - Presented to Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee No. 2

Hearing Handout

Propositions 1E and 84: Flood Management Provisions

February 27, 2007 - Presented to Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water

Report

Information Technology at the Water Boards

February 21, 2007 - On numerous occasions, the Legislature has stressed the fundamental role that management of data—including permitting, enforcement, and water quality—plays in assisting the State Water Resources Control Board carry out its mission. Legislative oversight of the board’s information technology (IT) projects is critical, as we find that the board has been developing information technology systems outside of the budget process and that the board lacks an up-to-date strategic plan to guide its IT activity. We make a number of recommendations to provide the necessary oversight.

Report

CALFED Bay-Delta Program

February 21, 2007 - The budget proposes $473.6 million across eight state agencies for the CALFED Bay-Delta Program in 2007-08. We recommend tying the use of performance measures (currently under development) to the budget process, and raise concerns about a number of CALFED’s budget proposals. Specifically, we find that the funding proposal for the South Delta Improvements program is premature, matching funds are lacking to allow the surface storage feasibility study work to practically proceed, and that the budget inappropriately proposes bond funds to replace water user funding contributions that have run out to support a conservation planning effort that benefits the water users.

Report

Funding for State Parks Maintenance

February 21, 2007 - Despite a growing backlog in deferred maintenance at state parks (currently over $900 million) the budget provides no funding to address the problem. There is also a significant funding shortfall related to ongoing maintenance at state parks. To address these problems, we recommend using $160 million of Proposition 84 bond funds allocated to state park restoration and rehabilitation for deferred maintenance, and augmenting the department’s ongoing maintenance budget by $15 million, funded from fees.

Report

Wildland Fire Protection Expenditures

February 21, 2007 - The fire protection budget of the state’s forestry department (mostly funded from the state General Fund) continues to rise significantly. This reflects changing forest conditions fueling fire risk, increasing housing development at the wildland-urban boundary, and increasing labor costs. We make a number of recommendations to control the rising costs, including clarifying state and local roles for providing emergency services, modifying the criteria by which land is designated a state responsibility for fire protection, and enacting a fee on private landowners to partially cover the state‘s costs in providing fire protection services that benefit them.

Report

Implementation of "AB 32" Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006

February 21, 2007 - The budget proposes $36 million across several state agencies to implement 2006 legislation (AB 32, Nuñez) that sets objectives and provides a roadmap for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the state. The Governor’s climate change budget proposals circumvent legislative direction, by moving prematurely to implement a market-based regulatory mechanism and assigning a role to the Cal-EPA Secretary that goes beyond coordination. There also is no long-term plan for funding these proposals, a concern since most of the proposed funding sources will run out in the next budget year.

Report

Budget Status of State Water Project

February 21, 2007 - We recommend that funding for the State Water Project (SWP), the state’s main water conveyance system connecting Northern and Southern California, be brought "on budget." This is because SWP’s current off-budget status makes it difficult for the Legislature to comprehensively address the state’s water policy issues, particularly in light of SWP’s increasing fiscal and programmatic ties to other state on-budget programs, such as the CALFED Bay-Delta Program.

Report

Flood Management Issues

February 21, 2007 - The budget reflects a major infusion of funding, mostly from bond funds, for flood management. We make a number of recommendations to ensure that a systematic approach is used to complete improvements and repairs to the state’s Central Valley flood control system, including requiring the Department of Water Resources to provide a plan for independent review and oversight of its flood-related capital outlay projects.

Report

Resources Bonds

February 21, 2007 - The budget proposes over $2.3 billion in bond funding for various resources programs, most of which comes from two resources bonds approved by voters in November 2006. The state would spend substantially higher bond amounts than in the current year, particularly for flood management. To ensure the effective and efficient implementation of the new bonds, we recommend that the Legislature set funding priorities to guide new programs created by the bonds; establish appropriate cost-sharing arrangements; ensure related programs are coordinated; and exercise oversight by holding hearings, establishing reporting requirements, and controlling administrative costs. review infrastructure

Environment and Natural Resources Staff
Ross Brown
(916) 319-8345
Air Quality, Energy, Recycling, and Climate Change
 
Rachel Ehlers
(916) 319-8330
Water, Coastal Development, and Fish and Wildlife
 
Helen Kerstein
(916) 319-8364
Forestry, Parks, and High Speed Rail
 
Frank Jimenez
(916) 319-8324
Highways and Roads, Agriculture, and Toxics
 
Eunice Roh
(916) 319-8327
Mass Transportation, Traffic Enforcement, Statewide Infrastructure
 
Brian Brown
(916) 319-8325
Deputy Legislative Analyst: Environment and Transportation