Umberg’s Climate Plan Passes Committee On Natural Resources

ORANGE COUNTY, CA - From Senator Tom Umberg: Today, Senator Thomas J. Umberg (D-Santa Ana) has moved his Senate Bill 576 (SB 576), known as the Climate Change Impact Plan, through the State Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water with a vote of 7 to 1. The legislation establishes that the State Coastal Conservancy is responsible to develop and oversee a coastal climate adaption, infrastructure, and readiness program. The legislation will next be heard in the State Senate Committee on Appropriations to determine its fiscal impact.

“California needs to collaborate with other Pacific Rim Coastline states to develop networks and practices that help protect our coastal communities. Many local governments are addressing coastal erosion, yet they often do not coordinate in order to understand the larger scope of the problem,” said Senator Umberg. “With one of the longest coastlines in the nation, California has a vested interest in coastal and oceanic climate adaptation. Ocean acidification, sea level rise, and warming ocean temperatures threaten to irrevocably alter California’s coastal ecosystems, along with its $45 billion ocean-based economy.”

The Climate Change Impact Plan requires the Coastal Conservancy to develop and implement a coastal climate adaptation, infrastructure, and readiness program in coordination with the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, the San Diego River Conservancy, and the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy to prioritize projects. To help store and facilitate information, SB 576 creates a data center at California State University, Long Beach. The university will collaborate with scientists and NGOs involved in the realm of climate change across the Pacific Rim Coastline. Lastly, the legislation requires the Conservancy to participate in hosting an international conference on coastal climate change held no less than once every two years. The conservancy will work in cooperation with the U.S. Natural Resources Agency, the Ocean Protection Council, and other state agencies to host the conference for the purpose of sharing information on the effects of climate change and subsequent coastal climate adaption.

The Coastline Conservation Act is sponsored by the Ocean Conservancy, and is supported by Endangered Habitats League, Sierra Club California, Surfrider Foundation, and The Nature Conservancy, and others.