California Assembly Bill AB1871 Introduced / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 1871INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Waldron FEBRUARY 10, 2016 An act to amend Section 12947 of the Water Code, relating to desalination. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 1871, as introduced, Waldron. Desalination. Existing law, the Cobey-Porter Saline Water Conversion Law, states the policy of this state that desalination projects developed by or for public water entities be given the same opportunities for state assistance and funding as other water supply and reliability projects, and that desalination be consistent with all applicable environmental protection policies in the state. The law provides that is it the intention of the Legislature that the Department of Water Resources shall undertake to find economic and efficient methods of desalting saline water so that desalted water may be made available to help meet the growing water requirements of the state. This bill would provide that it is the intention of the Legislature that when a state agency considers an application relating to desalination that the agency, when considering alternatives, should consider the cost of those alternatives in order to ensure that project financing does not become significantly more expensive or difficult. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 12947 of the Water Code is amended to read: 12947. (a) The Legislature finds and declares that the growing water needs of the state require the development of  cost effective   cost-effective  and efficient water supply technologies. Desalination technology is now feasible to help provide significant new water supplies from seawater, brackish water, and reclaimed water. Desalination technology can also provide an effective means of treating some types of contamination in water supplies. Desalination is consistent with both state water supply and efficiency policy goals, and joint state-federal environmental and water policy and principles promoted by the Cal-Fed Bay Delta Program. (b) It is the policy of this state that desalination projects developed by or for public water entities be given the same opportunities for state assistance and funding as other water supply and reliability projects, and that desalination be consistent with all applicable environmental protection policies in the state. (c) It is the intention of the Legislature that the department shall undertake to find economic and efficient methods of desalting saline water so that desalted water may be made available to help meet the growing water requirements of the state.  (d) It is the intention of the Legislature that when a state agency considers an application relating to desalination that the agency, when considering alternatives, should consider the cost of those alternatives in order to ensure that project financing does not become significantly more expensive or difficult.