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AB-2954 California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006: climate goal: natural and working lands.(2019-2020)

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Date Published: 05/04/2020 09:00 PM
AB2954:v98#DOCUMENT

Amended  IN  Assembly  May 04, 2020

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 2954

Introduced by Assembly Member Robert Rivas
(Coauthor: Assembly Member Mark Stone)

February 21, 2020

An act to add Section 38561.5 to the Health and Safety Code, relating to greenhouse gases.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 2954, as amended, Robert Rivas. California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006: climate goal: natural and working lands.
The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 establishes the State Air Resources Board as the state agency responsible for monitoring and regulating sources emitting greenhouse gases. The act requires the state board to approve a statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit equivalent to the statewide greenhouse gas emissions level in 1990 to be achieved by 2020 and to ensure that statewide greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to at least 40% 40 percent below the 1990 level by 2030. The act requires the state board to prepare and approve a scoping plan for achieving the maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and to update the scoping plan at least once every 5 years. This
This bill would require the state board, when updating the scoping plan and in collaboration with the California Environmental Protection Agency, the Natural Resources Agency, the Office of Planning and Research, and other relevant state agencies and departments, to take specified actions, including, among others, to identify by July 1, 2021, January 1, 2023, an overall climate goal for the state’s natural and working lands, as defined, to sequester carbon and reduce atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions. As part of this process, the bill would require the state board, in collaboration with the same agencies and departments, to among other things, emissions and identify practices, policy incentives, and potential reductions in barriers that would help achieve the climate goal for integration into the next update to the scoping plan that immediately follows the identification of the climate goal and, on or before January 1, 2022, report to the Legislature recommended policy incentives that the state could enact to help reach the climate goal.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(1) Climate change is causing historic droughts, devastating wildfires, torrential storms, extreme heat, the death of millions of trees, billions of dollars in property damage, and threats to human health and food supplies.
(2) The state’s forests, agricultural and ranch lands, wetlands, oceans, and other natural and working landscapes define the beauty and well-being of our state, but tragically are suffering increasing degradation caused by a changing climate.
(3) While the state’s natural and working landscapes confront impacts from climate change, they continue to provide a valuable carbon sequestration service that can help the state meet its long-term climate goals. climate, public health, environmental, and economic goals.
(4) Nations came together to adopt the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which calls for preventing average global temperatures from rising more than 2°C (3.6°F) above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to keep warming below 1.5°C (2.7°F).
(5) The state has strong partnerships through the Under2Coalition with more than 200 jurisdictions around the world, representing 1.3 billion people, committing themselves to meeting the Paris Agreement goals and going beyond them wherever possible.
(6) Scientists agree that worldwide carbon pollution must start trending downward by 2020, and carbon neutrality, which is the point at which the removal of carbon pollution from the atmosphere meets or exceeds emissions, must be achieved by midcentury.
(7) The achievement of carbon neutrality will require both significant reductions in carbon pollution and the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, including sequestration in forests, soils, and other natural landscapes.
(8) The State Air Resources Board’s 2017 scoping plan, prepared pursuant to Section 38561 of the Health and Safety Code, charts the steps to achieve the state’s greenhouse gas emissions goals, presenting a balanced set of economically viable and technologically feasible actions for carbon reduction.
(9) The state has taken the following specific steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions:
(A) Requiring significant reductions of destructive super pollutants, including black carbon and methane.
(B) Supporting clean transportation to reduce petroleum use 45% 45 percent by 2030, as outlined in the State Air Resources Board’s 2017 scoping plan prepared pursuant to Section 38561 of the Health and Safety Code.
(C) Setting a goal of 5 million zero-emission vehicles by 2030 in Executive Order No. B-48-18.
(D) Proposing to double the reduction in the carbon intensity of fuels through the Low-Carbon Fuel Standard regulations (Subarticle 7 (commencing with Section 95480) of Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations) by 2030.
(E) Moving the state to 100% 100 percent clean energy by 2045 pursuant to Section 454.53 of the Public Utilities Code.
(F) Requiring the state to double the rate of energy efficiency savings in buildings.
(G) Extending and improving the state’s market-based compliance mechanism, commonly know known as cap and trade.
(H) Directing the cap-and-trade moneys to greenhouse gas emissions reducing programs that benefit disadvantaged communities.
(I) Developing a Forest Carbon Plan to better manage the state’s forest land.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature that all of the following:
(1) All policies and programs undertaken to achieve carbon neutrality seek to improve air quality and support the health and economic resiliency of urban and rural communities, particularly low-income and disadvantaged communities.
(2) All policies and programs undertaken to achieve carbon neutrality be implemented in a manner that supports climate adaptation and biodiversity, including the protection of the state’s water supply, water quality, and native plants and animals.
(3) State agencies engage the support, participation, and partnership of universities, businesses, investors, and communities, as appropriate, to achieve greenhouse gas emissions reductions goals.

SEC. 2.

 Section 38561.5 is added to the Health and Safety Code, to read:

38561.5.
 (a) As used in For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:
(1) “Natural lands” has the same meaning as in paragraph (1) of subdivision (d) of Section 9001.5 of the Public Resources Code.
(2) “Working lands” has the same meaning as in paragraph (2) of subdivision (d) of Section 9001.5 of the Public Resources Code.
(b) In collaboration with the California Environmental Protection Agency, California Natural Resources Agency, Office of Planning and Research, and other departments, the state board shall identify by July 1, 2021, an overall climate goal for the state’s natural and working lands to sequester carbon and reduce atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions. The climate goal shall support the state’s efforts to achieve carbon neutrality and resilience to climate impacts. As part of this process, As part of the next update to the scoping plan prepared pursuant to Section 38561, the state board, in collaboration with the relevant state agencies and departments, shall do all of the following:
(1) Identify by January 1, 2023, an overall climate goal for the state’s natural and working lands to sequester carbon and reduce atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions. The climate goal shall support the state’s efforts to achieve carbon neutrality and resilience to climate impacts.

(1)

(2) Identify practices, policy incentives, and potential reductions in barriers that would help achieve the climate goal for integration into the next update to the scoping plan that immediately follows the identification of the climate goal. goal established pursuant to paragraph (1).

(2)

(3) Integrate opportunities to enhance other important public benefits and needs, including. including, but not limited to, the enhancement of water and air quality, climate resilience, public health, biodiversity, and jobs, species habitat, the production of food and fiber, public access to recreation, and the protection of vulnerable communities against climate impacts.

(3)

(4) Develop methods for state agencies to consistently track greenhouse emission gas emissions reductions, carbon sequestration, and cobenefits from natural and working lands over time.

(4)On or before January 1, 2022, submit a report to the Legislature, pursuant to Section 9795 of the Government Code, on recommended policy incentives that the state could enact to help reach the climate goal.