Staff
Helen Kerstein
(916) 319-8364
Air Quality, Energy, Climate Change, and High-Speed Rail
Sonja Petek
(916) 319-8340
Water, Coastal Development, and Fish and Wildlife
Frank Jimenez
(916) 319-8324
Highways and Roads, Recycling, and Toxics
Rachel Ehlers
(916) 319-8330
Deputy Legislative Analyst: Environment and Transportation


Publications

Environment and Natural Resources

To browse all LAO publications, visit our Publications page.



Report

Hazardous Substances State Superfund Reauthorization Expediting Hazardous Substance Site Cleanups

August 18, 1998 - California's "Superfund" program, enacted in 1981 to clean up contaminated hazardous substance sites, sunsets on January 1, 1999. We make recommendations that are designed to address concerns raised about the program, while advancing the state's goals for protecting public health and the environment.


Report

Analysis of the 1998-99 Budget Bill, Resources Chapter

February 18, 1998 - Analysis of the 1998-99 Budget Bill, Resources Chapter


Report

Smog Check Program

February 18, 1998 - Smog Check Program


Report

Setting Resources Infrastructure Funding Priorities

February 18, 1998 - In 1998, the Legislature will be evaluating a number of bond proposals to address funding needs for resources infrastructure. In this section, we provide a framework for constructing an estimate of resources infrastructure needs and setting funding priorities to assist the Legislature in evaluating these proposals.


Report

Cal-EPA: How Well Is It Meeting Its Goals

February 18, 1998 - Cal-EPA: How Well Is It Meeting Its Goals


Report

Colorado River Water: Challenges for California

October 16, 1997 - The Secretary of the Interior has directed California to come up with a plan to live within its entitlement of 4.4 million acre-feet of water per year. We provide findings and recommendations regarding this directive.


Report

Restoring Coho Salmon in California

October 14, 1997 - In April 1997, the federal government declared coho salmon in California streams from Humboldt County north into southern Oregon as "threatened" under the federal Endangered Species Act. We examine various issues related to this finding.


Report

CEQA: Making It Work Better

March 20, 1997 - We make recommendations for improving CEQA, potentially at a lower cost to both the public and private sectors.


Report

Analysis of the 1997-98 Budget Bill, Resources Chapter

February 18, 1997 - Analysis of the 1997-98 Budget Bill, Resources Chapter


Report

California's New Earthquake Program

January 1, 1997 - Earthquake insurance is now available to California homeowners and renters under a new system that was established through legislation enacted in 1995 and 1996. This legislation created the California Earthquake Authority (CEA} and provided a means for the CEA to pool various sources of finances to underwrite earthquake insurance sold by insurance companies that agree to participate in the new system.


Report

(1) The Bay Delta: A Key to Solving California’s Water Problem, and (2) Economic and Revenue Developments

September 23, 1996 - (1) The Bay Delta: A Key to Solving California’s Water Problem, and (2) Economic and Revenue Developments


Report

The Bay-Delta: A Key to Solving California's Water Problem

June 3, 1996 - The Department of Water Resources concluded in its 1994 California Water Plan Update that California's annual water supplies are generally adequate to meet current demand in "normal" (nondrought) years. However, the department forecasts a shortage in the year 2000 for California's water users as a group (domestic, industrial, agricultural, and environmental) that will increase in subsequent years. The projected shortage results both from factors that reduce supply and those that increase demand. Among the most important factors reducing water supply for nonenvironmental users are recent federal limits on water diversions in order to protect fish and wildlife habitat. Projected population growth adds most to future increases in demand.


Report

Analysis of the 1996-97 Budget Bill, Resources Chapter

February 21, 1996 - Analysis of the 1996-97 Budget Bill, Resources Chapter


Report

Plans Needed for Conservation of Land Resources

February 21, 1996 - Plans Needed for Conservation of Land Resources


Handout

Funding Environmental Regulation

April 28, 1995 - Presented by Mark Newton to: University of California, Berkeley Environmental Health Policy Program Workshop On: Taxing Pesticides to Fund Environmental Management and Integrated Pest Management