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Natomas -- On Wednesday morning, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed all of the components of the 2007 legislative flood package into law. By signing the bills, the Governor and the Legislature have delivered the most significant flood legislation for California in over a generation.
The flood package [AB 5 (Wolk), AB 70 (Jones), AB 156 (Laird), AB 162 (Wolk), SB 5 (Machado) and SB 17 (Florez)] will help to protect lives and property, ensure responsible local planning, and safeguard the state (and its taxpayers) from increased exposure to liability for damages caused by flood.
“This package is clearly a win for public safety and the environment,” said Mindy McIntyre of the Planning and Conservation League. “Floodplains provide vital habitat for migrating birds and other native California wildlife. And by calling for the use of setback levees and flood bypasses as natural infrastructure for flood control, these measures also preserve wildlife habitat and agricultural lands.”
This historic moment was made possible through the joint efforts of the Senate, Assembly, and Governor’s office. We applaud Governor Schwarzenegger, Assemblywoman Lois Wolk, Senator Dean Florez, Senator Mike Machado, Senator Darrell Steinberg, Assemblyman Dave Jones, Assemblyman John Laird, and their staffs for their effective leadership in developing and delivering critically needed, long overdue flood policy for the State of California.
More information on each bill in the flood package is available at: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/
The Planning and Conservation League is a nonpartisan, nonprofit alliance of individuals and conservation organizations working at the state, local, and national levels to protect and restore California's natural environment, and to promote and defend the public health and safety of the people of California.
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