Budgets and Spending

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Budgets and Spending

California’s Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Agencies oversee the activities of about 40 state departments, boards, and conservancies whose missions are to protect and restore the state’s natural and environmental resources and to ensure public health and environmental quality. The 2021-22 budget provides about $22 billion for these activities from a combination of the General Fund, special funds, bond funds, and federal funds.

Natural Resources Budget Summary

(Dollars in Millions)

	2019‑20 Actual	2020‑21 Estimated	2021‑22 Enacted	Change From 2020‑21
	2019‑20 Actual	2020‑21 Estimated	2021‑22 Enacted	Amount	Percent
Total	$7,143	$10,663	$11,974	$1,310	12%
By Department
Forestry and Fire Protection	$2,024	$2,900	$2,582	‑$318	‑11%
Water Resources	804	2,303	2,245	‑58	‑3
Parks and Recreation	868	1,266	1,697	431	34
Energy Commission	502	811	1,320	509	63
General obligation bond debt service	1,057	1,300	1,309	9	1
Fish and Wildlife	590	549	816	267	49
Natural Resources Agency	396	304	394	89	29
State Lands Commission	85	51	343	292	576
Wildlife Conservation Board	165	339	338	‑1	—
Conservation	126	232	241	9	4
Conservation Corps	158	156	158	2	1
Coastal Conservancy	111	74	75	1	1
Coastal Commission	29	27	71	44	164
Sierra Nevada Conservancy	42	33	69	36	109
Tahoe Conservancy	13	29	52	24	84
Othera	173	289	262	‑27	‑9
By Funding Source
General Fund	$3,836	$5,033	$8,659	$3,626	72%
Special funds	1,823	2,081	1,719	‑362	‑17
Bond funds	1,244	3,256	1,030	‑2,226	‑68
Federal funds	240	294	565	272	93
aIncludes certain state conservancies and other departments.

For more information, see The 2021-22 Spending Plan: Natural Resources and Environmental Protection.

Environmental Protection Budget Summary

(Dollars in Millions)

	2019‑20 Actual	2020‑21 Estimated	2021‑22 Enacted	Change From 2020‑21
	2019‑20 Actual	2020‑21 Estimated	2021‑22 Enacted	Amount	Percent
Total	$6,900	$6,140	$9,694	$3,554	58%
By Department
Water Resources Control Board	$2,723	$1,065	$3,937	$2,872	270%
Air Resources Board	1,552	677	2,940	2,264	335
CalRecycle	2,173	3,905	1,796	‑2,109	‑54
Toxic Substances Control	301	338	815	477	141
Pesticide Regulation	105	112	139	28	25
CalEPA	20	16	35	19	117
OEHHA	24	24	27	3	12
General obligation bond debt service	3	3	4	1	22
By Funding Source
General Fund	$775	$2,495	$3,240	$745	30%
Special funds	4,318	3,248	5,067	1,819	56
Bond funds	1,451	32	17	‑15	‑47
Federal funds	356	365	1,370	1,005	276
CalRecycle = California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery; CalEPA = California Environmental Prot3ection Agency; and OEHHA = Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.

Resources and Environmental Budget “Packages” Included in 2021‑22 Budget

(Dollars In Millions)

Package	2021‑22	2022‑23	2023‑24	Totals
Drought and Water Resilience	$3,269	$880	$500	$4,649
Zero‑Emission Vehicle	2,732	660	515	3,907
Wildfire and Forest Resilience	988	—	—	988
Sustainable Agriculture	683	425	—	1,108
Climate Resilience	369	2,090	1,230	3,689
Outdoors for All	256	—	—	256
Energy	172	—	—	172
Circular Economy	75	65	—	140
Totals	$8,544	$4,119	$2,245	$14,908
Percent General Fund	82%	100%	100%	90%

For more information, see the Spending Plan reports for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection and the California Department of Food and Agriculture

Last Updated: October 2021

LAO Staff Contacts

Rachel Ehlers: (916) 319-8330; Deputy Legislative Analyst: Environment and Transportation
Sarah Cornett: (916) 319-8329; Air Quality, Energy, Recycling, and Climate Change
Frank Jimenez: (916) 319-8324; Highways and Roads, Recycling, Agriculture, and Toxics
Helen Kerstein: (916) 319-8364; Forestry, Parks, and High Speed Rail
Eunice Roh: (916) 319-8327; Mass Transportation, Traffic Enforcement, Statewide Planning and Infrastructure

Sonja Petek

(916) 319-8340

Water, Coastal Development, and Fish and Wildlife

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