California Assembly Bill AB309 Latest Draft

 BILL NUMBER: AB 309AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 23, 2015 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 20, 2015 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 26, 2015 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Mathis FEBRUARY 12, 2015 An act relating to  education,   water,  and making an appropriation therefor. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 309, as amended, Mathis. Governor Edmund G. "Pat" Brown, Sr. Research Grant. Existing law establishes various grant programs relating to education, including, but not limited to, the Education Technology Grant Act of 2002 and the Child Development Teacher and Supervisor Grant Program.  The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency charged with monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases. The state board is required to adopt a statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit equivalent to the statewide greenhouse gas emissions level in 1990 to be achieved by 2020. The act authorizes the state board to include the use of market-based compliance mechanisms in regulations to achieve this goal. Existing law requires all moneys, except for fines and penalties, collected by the state board from the auction or sale of allowances as part of a market-based compliance mechanism to be deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and to be available upon appropriation.   Under existing law, the Department of Water Resources operates the State Water Project and exercises other functions relating to the state's water resources.  This bill would require the  state board, in collaboration with the  Department of Water  Resources,   Resources  to create and administer the "Edmund G. 'Pat' Brown, Sr., Research Grant" to provide a one-year grant to support research that would examine ways to  increase fresh water yield, improve energy efficiency, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by combining desalination and power generation plants.   expand California's water portfolio.  The bill would specify that only California State University campuses and University of California campuses are eligible for this grant. The bill would appropriate $145,000 from the  Greenhouse Gas Reduction   General  Fund to the  state board   department  for this purpose. Vote:  majority   2/3  . Appropriation: yes. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:  SECTION 1.   The Legislature finds and declares the following: (a) The largest desalination plant project in the western hemisphere is in Carlsbad, California. The project has been approved by the California Coastal Commission, the State Lands Commission, and the area's regional water quality control board, and, when the plan becomes operational in 2016, has the ability to produce 50 million gallons of drinking water daily for the residents of San Diego County. (b) In March 2015, Santa Barbara municipal officials announced that the city is working on bringing a 20-year old desalination plant back into operation. The city expects that the facility will produce enough water to make up approximately 30 percent of Santa Barbara's water demand once the plant is fully operational.   SEC. 2.   SECTION 1.  (a) The State Air Resources Board, in collaboration with the  Department of Water  Resources,   Resources  shall create and administer the "Edmund G. 'Pat' Brown, Sr., Research Grant" to provide a one-year grant to support research that would examine ways to  increase fresh water yield, improve energy efficiency, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by combining desalination and power generation plants.   expand California's water portfolio.  Only California State University campuses and University of California campuses shall be eligible for this grant. (b) There is hereby appropriated one hundred forty-five thousand dollars ($145,000) from the  Greenhouse Gas Reduction   General  Fund to the  State Air Resources Board   Department of Water Resources  for the purpose of this section.