PCL Insider: News from the Capitol
HITTING THE BOTTLE: GOV PROPOSES CONTINUED BORROWING FROM
RECYCLING FUND TO PAY FOR GLOBAL WARMING PROGRAMS
As the state budget deficit looms, and a California-EPA progress
report for state agency action on global warming shows a
mixed record of action across various agencies, Californians
have been told they may be forced to wait another year for
reliable “polluter-pays” funding to implement AB 32,
The Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006.
Despite calls from the state
Legislature, the non-partisan Legislative
Analyst’s Office, and environmental advocates to find
a stable, long-term funding plan for implementation of AB 32 in
this year’s state budget, the Schwarzenegger
Administration has instead proposed to borrow resources from
other government programs, including a $32 million loan from the
California Beverage Container Recycling Fund. The Recycling Fund
repays consumers who recycle bottles and cans.
This “borrow from Peter to pay Paul, et al.”
attitude fails to acknowledge the urgency of the challenge we
face in fighting global warming. We support fully funding the
Governor’s proposed budget for all agency work on
implementation of AB 32 –- and doing so through fees on
large emitters of greenhouse gases such as power plants and oil
refineries. It’s also time to see some more accountability
for those agencies that lag behind in greenhouse gas reduction
activities.
AN AB 32 FOR WATER: KEY LEGISLATION ANSWERS
GOVERNOR’S AMBITIOUS CALL TO REDUCE WATER DEMAND
In a recent letter to Senators Perata, Steinberg, and
Machado, Governor Schwarzenegger announced his intention to call
for a 20
percent reduction in per-capita water use in California by
2020. The Governor’s ambitious call for a significant
reduction in water demand means that there is a new opportunity
for a major step ahead in environmental policy. PCL reads the
Governor’s statement as nothing less than a proposal for
the type of collaborative attention that the Legislature and the
Governor invested in addressing greenhouse gas emissions when
they adopted AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006.
Fortunately, California has the ability to meet and exceed
the Governor’s water demand reduction goal (just as
California has the ability to meet the ambitious benchmarks set
by AB 32). According to the Governor’s State
Water Plan Update, currently available urban water use
efficiency measures could offset 3.1 million acre feet of water
annually, enough for over 6 million families in California.
The Legislature has put forth several measures that, if
adopted, will move the state towards the increased water use
efficiency called for by the Governor.
One critical bill is Assemblymember Krekorian’s AB
2153, the Water Efficiency & Security Act. This
bill, sponsored by PCL, will institute water efficiency
standards for new developments and establish a water use offset
program, allowing California to accommodate growth without
increasing water demand. Another important water efficiency
bill, AB
2175 (Laird/Feuer), provides an additional opportunity to
prioritize water use efficiency to meet the State’s
needs.
As the legislative session continues we’ll be calling
upon our PCL Insider readers to help ensure that critical water
conservation legislation is enacted.
TO ACT OR NOT TO TAKE ACT: THE STATE WATER BOARD EVALUATES
ROLE IN RECYCLED WATER AND BAY-DELTA
The State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) is looking
for input on two very important policies that will shape
California’s water future for the coming decades.
First, the SWRCB
will consider whether to adopt a statewide recycled water
policy. Water recycling in California has the potential to
produce nearly 1.5 million acre feet of new water annually. That
much-needed water could help quench the thirst of growing cities
and help absorb the impact of climate change on
California’s water resources.
While the Board’s intentions are laudable, the draft
policy proposed was widely criticized by environmental
groups and water agencies alike for missing the mark and
actually decreasing the chances that recycled water will be
developed in California. PCL, the Association of
California Water Agencies, and others have come together to urge
the Board to hold off on adopting the flawed policy. As an
alternative, these stakeholders have volunteered to come to the
table and help the Board hammer out a policy that will actually
achieve the Board’s desired results of tapping
California’s significant recycled water potential.
We’ll see on Tuesday if the Board takes us up on the
offer.
Second, the SWRCB has signaled that they are ready to get
back in the driver’s seat when it comes to management of
the Delta -- or at least they want to plan to get back in the
driver’s seat. Next week the SWRCB
will follow up on the December
2007 resolution to develop a workplan that
“prioritizes actions needed to protect beneficial uses of
the Bay Delta Estuary.”
To help develop the strategic plan, the SWRCB will hear from
representatives of Delta
Vision, the Bay
Delta Conservation Plan, and CALFED on the state of the
Delta and Delta management on Wednesday. While each of those
processes has a role in Delta management, it is the SWRCB that
holds the ultimate responsibility and authority to balance the
co-equal objectives of water supply reliability and the
protection of the West Coast’s largest Estuary. PCL
encourages the SWRCB to use its considerable existing authority
to take independent action to address the Delta crises.
Both SWRCB workshops are open to all interested persons and
participants will have an opportunity to provide public
comment.
RECYCLED WATER POLICY
WORKSHOP
Meeting date and time: Tuesday, March
18th, 10am
Meeting location: Cal-EPA
Building, 1001 I St, Coastal Hearing Room
Meeting
webcast: Check the schedule for audio or video feed here
DEVELOPMENT OF A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR
THE BAY-DELTA
Meeting date and
time: Wednesday, March 19th, 10am
Meeting
location: Cal-EPA Building, 1001 I St, Sierra Hearing
Room
Meeting webcast: Check the schedule for
audio or video feed here
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