Florida 2024 Regular Session

Florida House Bill H1187 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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3	3	HB 1187 2024
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10	10	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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14	14	A bill to be entitled 1
15	15	An act relating to carbon sequestration; creating s. 2
16	16	403.945, F.S.; providing definitions; providing 3
17	17	legislative findings; creating the Carbon 4
18	18	Sequestration Task Force adjunct to the Department of 5
19	19	Environmental Protection; providing for task force 6
20	20	membership and duties; requiring the task force to 7
21	21	submit specified reports to the Secretary of 8
22	22	Environmental Protection and to the Governor and 9
23	23	Legislature by specified dates; providing an 10
24	24	appropriation; providing for expiration of the task 11
25	25	force; providing an effective date. 12
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27	27	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 14
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29	29	Section 1. Section 403.945, Florida Statutes, is created 16
30	30	to read: 17
31	31	403.945 Carbon Sequestration Task Force .— 18
32	32	(1) As used in this section, the term: 19
33	33	(a) "Blue carbon" means carbon sequestered by marine and 20
34	34	coastal ecosystems. 21
35	35	(b) "Carbon sequestration" means the long -term storage of 22
36	36	carbon in plants, soils, geologic formations, and the ocean 23
37	37	through land and aquatic habitat management. 24
38	38	(2) The Legislature finds that: 25
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47	47	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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51	51	(a) Maintaining coastal and freshwater wetlands, nearshore 26
52	52	and offshore aquatic ecosystems, conservation lands, healthy and 27
53	53	sustainable agriculture, shellfish a quaculture, and timber and 28
54	54	silvicultural industries is vital to the state's economy, 29
55	55	environment, and natural resources, including significant 30
56	56	environmental contributions to water quality and quantity, air 31
57	57	purification, carbon sequestration, blue carbon, c oastal 32
58	58	resilience, and habitat for threatened and endangered wildlife. 33
59	59	(b) The continued expansion of urban sprawl and the 34
60	60	development of coastal areas have led to losses of the state's 35
61	61	natural and agricultural lands and decreases in water quality 36
62	62	and quantity that have harmed coastal ecosystems and industries, 37
63	63	including imperiled wetlands, coral reefs, seagrasses, and 38
64	64	shellfish aquaculture. 39
65	65	(c) To ensure healthy and sustainable agriculture, 40
66	66	shellfish aquaculture and silvicultural industries, and natura l 41
67	67	and working lands and waters, a statewide program is necessary 42
68	68	to provide incentives for landowners and managers to continue 43
69	69	activities and land uses that sequester carbon. 44
70	70	(3) The Carbon Sequestration Task Force, a task force as 45
71	71	defined in s. 20.03, i s created adjunct to the department to 46
72	72	provide recommendations for the development of a statewide 47
73	73	carbon sequestration program. The task force shall operate in a 48
74	74	manner consistent with the requirements of s. 20.052. 49
75	75	(4)(a) The task force shall be compose d of the following 50
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84	84	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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88	88	members: 51
89	89	1. The Secretary of Environmental Protection, or his or 52
90	90	her designee. 53
91	91	2. The Commissioner of Agriculture, or his or her 54
92	92	designee. 55
93	93	3. The executive director of the Fish and Wildlife 56
94	94	Conservation Commission, or his or her designee. 57
95	95	4. The Chief Resilience Officer, or his or her designee. 58
96	96	5. A representative from the National Estuary Program, 59
97	97	appointed by the Secretary of Environmental Protection. 60
98	98	6. A member of an environmental not -for-profit, appointed 61
99	99	by the Secretary of Environmental Protection. 62
100	100	7. A landowner of working agricultural lands, appointed by 63
101	101	the Commissioner of Agriculture. 64
102	102	8. A representative from a state university with expertise 65
103	103	in energy or sustainability, appointed by the Secretary of 66
104	104	Environmental Protection. 67
105	105	9. A representative from the University of Florida 68
106	106	Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences , appointed by the 69
107	107	Commissioner of Agriculture. 70
108	108	10. A representative from the Florida Sea Grant Program , 71
109	109	appointed by the Commissioner of Agri culture. 72
110	110	(b) Appointments to the task force must be made by August 73
111	111	1, 2024. 74
112	112	(c) Each appointed member serves at the pleasure of the 75
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121	121	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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125	125	appointing official. 76
126	126	(d) A vacancy on the task force must be filled in the same 77
127	127	manner as the original appointment. 78
128	128	(e) The task force shall elect a chair from among the 79
129	129	members. 80
130	130	(f) The task force shall convene no later than September 81
131	131	1, 2024. The task force shall meet quarterly or upon the call of 82
132	132	the chair. The task force shall hold its meetings in person or 83
133	133	through teleconference or other electronic means. 84
134	134	(5) The duties of the task force shall include all of the 85
135	135	following: 86
136	136	(a) Identify and inventory terrestrial and aquatic 87
137	137	environments suitable for carbon sequestration in this state. 88
138	138	(b) Consider possible m ethods of increasing carbon 89
139	139	sequestration within the natural environment through state land 90
140	140	and marine resource use policies; agricultural, aquacultural, 91
141	141	and silvicultural practices; and other practices to achieve 92
142	142	restoration of natural resources and long -term conservation. 93
143	143	(c) Develop a standardized methodology, including 94
144	144	appropriate technology and existing research, to establish 95
145	145	baseline carbon levels and account for increases in carbon 96
146	146	sequestration over time. 97
147	147	(d) Evaluate additional ecosystem servic es and benefits of 98
148	148	terrestrial and aquatic environments that may promote 99
149	149	conservation and ecosystem restoration success, including water 100
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158	158	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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162	162	recharge, stormwater filtration, threatened or endangered 101
163	163	wildlife habitat, nutrient reduction, flood mitigation and 102
164	164	protection, coastal resilience, air quality, soil health, and 103
165	165	food security. 104
166	166	(e) Recommend short -term and long-term benchmarks for 105
167	167	increasing carbon sequestration in terrestrial and aquatic 106
168	168	ecosystems. 107
169	169	(f) Identify existing carbon markets and other 108
170	170	considerations relevant to participation by the state in such 109
171	171	markets. 110
172	172	(g) Identify potential funding mechanisms to encourage 111
173	173	carbon sequestration practices and activities in this state. 112
174	174	(6) By October 1, 2025, the task force shall submit to the 113
175	175	Secretary of Environmental Protection a report summarizing the 114
176	176	task force activities and findings in its first year, including 115
177	177	a nonrecurring budget request for the 2025 -2026 fiscal year. 116
178	178	(7) By October 1, 2026, the task force shall submit to the 117
179	179	Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the 118
180	180	House of Representatives a report that compiles the findings and 119
181	181	recommendations of the task force. The task force shall 120
182	182	terminate on April 30, 2027. 121
183	183	Section 2. For the 2024-2025 fiscal year, the sum of 122
184	184	$350,000 in nonrecurring funds is appropriated from the 123
185	185	Operating Trust Fund to the Department of Environmental 124
186	186	Protection for the purpose of providing administrative and 125
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192	192	CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
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195	195	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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199	199	support services to the Carbon Sequestration Task Force pursuant 126
200	200	to s. 403.945, Florida Statutes. 127
201	201	Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024. 128