ACTION ITEMS:
----- ALERT -----
Last Night's Water Conference Amendments Now Out to Senate and Assembly Floors
Last night the Senate and Assembly water conference committees issued their amendments. These amendments are not debatable and may not be amended. They now go to the floor of the Senate and Assembly for acceptance and vote up or down.
To read the actual new language, CLICK HERE
Or cut and paste this link:
http://www.senate.ca.gov/ftp/SEN/COMMITTEE/STANDING/NRW/_home/
In Summary, four significant changes have occurred in the past few days:
1. The proposed Delta Stewardship Council now has no authority to review or improve the BDCP. Rather, the BDCP will become part of the Delta Plan. All state and local actions will then be required to be "consistent" with the Delta Plan -- including the BDCP. As a result, all actions within the Delta will have to be consistent with the BDCP.
2. The proposed Delta Stewardship Council is not required not adopt decisions of the local representative Delta Protection Commission.
3. BDCP fees are prohibited from being directed to economic mitigation in the Delta, despite the fact that the BDCP will consume thousands of acres of farmland for the peripheral canal right of way and the required environmental mitigation for the canal.
4. There will be no money for the Delta other than through a bond which is one-time, and must be approved by voters.
The Bills in brief are:
SB 12 sets up a 7 member Delta Stewardship Council with broad powers to oversee all of the Delta. Six of the members are appointed. The 7th member is chair of the Delta Protection Commission.
Among other things, the Council is requried to respect existing water rights.
SB 229 enhances the power of the State Water Resources Control Board to require any person using water to prepare reports under penalty of perjury, with authority to assess fees and penalties.
SB 458 reduces from 23 to 15 the persons on the Delta Protection Commission whose primary charge shall be to draft and adopt an economic sustainability plan/resource management plan. This bill also sets up an 11 member Delta Conservancy which is charged with the responsiblity to find ways to advance both enfironmental protection and the ecomonic well-being of Delta residents.
AB 39 requies the new Delta Stewardship Council to formulate a "Delta Plan" which is requred to restore "large areas of interconnected habitats by 2100" and establish and restore fish, bird and animal ecosystems.
AB 49 requires significant water conservation, including a 20% decrease in urban water use by 2020. This bill also requires agricultural water suppliers to begin a new system of water management, reporting and pricing.
We will try to keep you updated.
Please contact us if you have any questions.
Mark
