Bill Text: CA AB1608 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Amended
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Vibrant landscapes for California.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Failed) 2018-02-01 - From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56. [AB1608 Detail]
Download: California-2017-AB1608-Amended.html
and implement the Vibrant Landscape Program to provide incentives to manage and conserve natural and working lands to address climate change and achieve other public and environmental benefits. The program shall assist eligible applicants in developing to develop and implement county or regional plans, including county climate
action plans and greenprint, greenprints, across rural and urban areas integrating the conservation and management of natural and working lands, including agricultural and forest lands with other sectors to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases and achieve climate resilience and other public and environmental cobenefits. The program shall support plans areas, that do the following:
Bill Title: Vibrant landscapes for California.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Failed) 2018-02-01 - From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56. [AB1608 Detail]
Download: California-2017-AB1608-Amended.html
|
Amended
IN
Assembly
April 17, 2017 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION
| Assembly Bill | No. 1608 |
| Introduced by Assembly Member Kalra |
February 17, 2017 |
An act to add Division 10.6 (commencing with Section 12300) to the Public Resources Code, relating to environmental protection.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 1608, as amended, Kalra.
Vibrant landscapes for climate, people, and multiple benefits.
The California Farmland Conservancy Program Act requires the Department of Conservation to implement and administer a program to provide grants for the acquisition by specified applicants of agricultural conservation easements, as defined. The act allows an agricultural conservation easement to provide for the construction and use of structures necessary for agricultural production and marketing, additional residences for immediate family members of the landowner, and necessary housing for seasonal or full-time employees of the agricultural operation.
Existing law establishes the Agricultural Protection Planning Grant Program administered by the department to provide planning grants to improve the protection of agricultural lands and grazing lands, including oak woodlands and grasslands.
Existing law authorizes the Wildlife Conservation Board to expend moneys for the acquisition of conservation easements to protect rangeland, grazing lands, and grasslands.
This bill would require the department to develop and implement the Vibrant Landscape Program to assist eligible applicants in the development and implementation of county and regional plans that to, among other things, integrate the conservation and management of natural and working lands with other sectors to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases and to provide other environmental cobenefits and to provide funding for land management and conservation activities that reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases and
achieve other public and environmental cobenefits. benefits. The bill would require the department, in collaboration with the Strategic Growth Council and the State Air Resources Board, to develop guidelines and criteria for the program. The bill would establish the Vibrant Landscape Program Fund in the State Treasury and would, upon appropriation by the Legislature, authorize the department to expend moneys in the fund to implement the program.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NOBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Division 10.6 (commencing with Section 12300) is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:DIVISION 10.6. Vibrant Landscape for Climate, People, and Multiple Benefits
CHAPTER 1. Findings and Declarations
12300.
(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(1) The state’s natural and working lands have critical roles in providing multiple benefits, including food, wood products, habitat, water quality, and climate change mitigation.
(2) Natural and working lands should be managed and conserved for the multiple benefits they provide.
(3) The state recognizes the critical role of natural and working lands in providing solutions to climate change, as identified in the Governor’s Executive Order B-30-15 and Chapter 545 of the Statutes of
2016.
(4) Natural and working lands store considerable amounts of carbon. These terrestrial ecosystems store 2,100 gigatons of carbon and they are unique as they can actively remove carbon from the atmosphere and store that carbon for long periods of time.
(5) Local governments and land managers across the state have significant influence over the maintenance and management of natural and working lands for their climate and other benefits. In spite of this, there is little guidance, and there are few tools and incentives for them to advance the conservation and management of these landscapes for climate and other benefits.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature to create a program and fund for local governments and land
managers to build partnerships in rural and urban areas across the state to develop and implement land use plans and activities to address climate change and advance other critical benefits, including food, habitat, wood products, water quality, and public health, provided by both natural and working lands.
CHAPTER 2. Definitions
12305.
For purposes of this division, the following definitions apply:(a) “Department” means the Department of Conservation.
(b) “Eligible applicants” means cities, counties, special districts, districts and authorities, including open-space districts and resource conservation districts, metropolitan planning organizations, and nonprofit organizations.
(c) “Fund” means the Vibrant Landscape Program Fund established pursuant to Section 12320.
(d) “Greenhouse gas reduction” includes the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through carbon sequestration. sequestration as well as reduced or avoided emissions of greenhouse gases.
(e) “Greenprint” means a plan that identifies strategically planned and managed networks of natural lands and waters, working landscapes, including farmland, ranchland, and working forests, and recreational and other open spaces that conserve ecosystem values and functions, creates climate resilient communities, and is
integrated into community and regional growth strategies.
(f) “Natural lands” means lands consisting of forests, grasslands, deserts, freshwater and riparian systems, wetlands, coastal and estuarine areas, watersheds, wildlands, or wildlife habitat, or lands used for recreational purposes, including parks, urban and community forests, trails, greenbelts, and other similar open-space land.
(g) “Program” means the Vibrant Landscape Program developed pursuant to Section 12310.
(h) “Working lands” means lands use for farming, grazing, or the production of forest products.
CHAPTER 3. Vibrant Landscape Program
12310.
(a) (1) The department shall develop(A) Integrate the conservation and management of natural and working lands with other sectors to optimize the reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases and achieve other public and environmental benefits.
(B) Achieve measurable and durable reductions in the emissions of greenhouse gases.
(A)Demonstrate how plan implementation will advance
(C) Advance
the conservation of natural and working lands and associated habitat and measurable and durable reductions in the emissions of greenhouse
gases. habitat.
(B)
(D) Advance climate resilience, water quality, habitat connectivity, food production, wood products production, and other benefits.
(C)
(E) Complement a sustainable communities strategy developed pursuant to Section 65080 of the Government Code, if applicable.
(2) In awarding funds pursuant to this subdivision, the department shall give preference to an application submitted by a group of eligible applicants applications that includes a county. include a county as a partner and a broad and diverse set of local partners, such as resource conservation districts, open-space
districts and authorities, and nonprofit organizations.
(b) (1) The program may shall also provide funding to eligible applicants and landowners for land management and conservation activities activities, including land acquisitions, across the state that reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases and achieve multiple environmental cobenefits.
benefits, including, but not limited to, agricultural viability, habitat connectivity, water quality, air quality, and climate resilience.
(2) Eligible activities include, but are not limited to, the following:
(A) Riparian Land and riparian restoration.
(B) Preventing the conversion Conservation of natural and working lands to development and other intensive land use.
sequester carbon and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.
(C) Improvement in Improved forest management.
(D) Urban forestry.
(E) Agricultural and rangeland management activities, including, but not limited to, nutrient management and compost applications.
(3) In awarding funds pursuant to this subdivision, the department shall give preference to activities that would do both of
the following:
(A)Implement a plan developed pursuant to subdivision (a).
(B)Provide the most cobenefits.
(A) Help implement a plan developed pursuant to subdivision (a).
(B) Help implement a
plan that is consistent with the criteria adopted by the department pursuant to Section 12311.
(C) Optimize the reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases.
(D) Optimize climate resilience and additional public and environmental benefits.
