Environment and Natural Resources Publications

The 2022-23 California Spending Plan: Resources and Environmental Protection

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October 10, 2022 - The 2022-23 budget package provides a total of $23.7 billion from various fund sources—the General Fund, bond funds, and a number of special funds—for programs administered by the California Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Agencies.

Update (11/17/22): Estimated federal allotments to SWRCB have been updated to $760 million.

The 2022-23 Budget: California Spending Plan Series

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September 29, 2022 - Each year, our office publishes California Spending Plan, a series of publications that summarize the annual state budget. The Overview of the California Spending Plan is presented here along with short online posts that focus on major areas and features of the 2022-23 budget package. As more of these posts become available, we will add them below.

Overview of California's Ports

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August 23, 2022 - This post describes how ports across the state operate and are funded, discusses related air quality and port congestion issues, and reviews recent state and federal actions regarding ports.

Proposition 30: Provides Funding for Programs to Reduce Air Pollution and Prevent Wildfires by Increasing Tax on Personal Income Over $2 Million. Initiative Statute.

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August 10, 2022 - Presented to: Senate Governance and Finance Committee Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water

Initiative Statute: Provides Funding for Programs to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Increasing Tax on Personal Income Over $2 Million

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May 31, 2022 - Presented to: Assembly Committee on Transportation Assembly Committee on Natural Resources Assembly Committee on Utilities and Energy

The 2022-23 Budget: Fuel Price and Other Fiscal Relief Options

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May 12, 2022 - In response to increasing prices across the economy—particularly fuel prices—the Legislature is contemplating a number of policies for providing fiscal relief to Californians. In this post, we identify key questions for the Legislature to consider when analyzing the merits of the options proposed by the Governor and in designing its own relief package.

The 2022-23 Budget: Pesticide Enforcement

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May 5, 2022 - In this post, we assess the Governor’s 2022-23 budget proposals to (1) provide additional administrative penalty authority to the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) for pesticide use and residue violations, (2) increase several existing pesticide-related penalties, and (3) provide funding to DPR to investigate and pursue pesticide use and residue enforcement cases.

The 2022-23 Budget: Cap-and-Trade Revenue Update

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April 29, 2022 - This budget post provides an update on cap-and-trade revenue and resources available for discretionary spending.

Climate Change Impacts Across California - Crosscutting Issues

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April 5, 2022 - This report contains four primary sections: (1) a description of the five key climate hazards affecting California, (2) the major ways those hazards impact sectors across the state, (3) significant existing state‑level efforts underway to address climate change impacts, and (4) key issues for the Legislature to consider in response to these impacts. This is one of a series of reports summarizing how climate change will impact different sectors across California.

The 2022-23 Budget: Municipal Stormwater and Urban Runoff Discharges Mandate

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February 28, 2022 - Provides our comments and recommendation to approve the Governor's proposal to fund the Municipal Stormwater and Urban Runoff Discharges mandate.

The 2022-23 Budget: Zero-Emission Vehicle Package

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February 23, 2022 - This brief provides our assessment and recommendations on the Governor's proposed 2022-23 zero-emission vehicle package.

The 2022-23 Budget: Clean Energy Package

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February 22, 2022 - This brief provides overarching comments on the Governor's $2 billion clean energy package and recommendations related to a few of the proposed programs.

The 2022-23 Budget: Office of Planning and Research Budget Proposals

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February 9, 2022 - This budget post describes the Governor’s 2022-23 budget proposals for the Office of Planning and Research and provides comments and recommendations to the Legislature.

The 2022-23 Budget: Water and Drought Response Proposals

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January 31, 2022 - This brief describes and assesses the Governor's 2022-23 water resilience and drought response funding proposals.

The 2022-23 Budget: Oil Well Abandonment and Remediation

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January 31, 2022 - The Governor’s budget proposes $200 million General Fund over two years for the California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) within the Department of Conservation (DOC) to plug deserted wells and decommission associated facilities. Although addressing deserted wells could have environmental, health, and safety benefits, this proposal represents a significant expansion of current well remediation activities. In addition, federal funding for well remediation activities will soon be available. Furthermore, it may be appropriate for the current oil and gas operators to bear at least some of the cost of remediating the environmental damages from these wells—rather than the general taxpayer through the state General Fund. We recommend the Legislature consider reducing the amount of state funding proposed, consider using alternative sources of funding to support well remediation, and require reporting on key program outcomes to inform future funding decisions.