The Barbed Wire - September 02, 2016

September 2, 2016
RCRC’s 2016 Annual Meeting – REGISTER TODAY!!!
Annual Meeting Preview: Drones: Balancing Benefits and Challenges
Tree Mortality Task Force Hosts Roundtable in Lake Tahoe
Legislature Passes Cap-and-Trade Spending Plan on the Last Day of Session
Last Minute Amendments Could Keep Biomass Facilities Running
RCRC Heads to Washington for Federal PILT Funding
BULLETIN BOARD
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

RCRC’s 2016 Annual Meeting – REGISTER TODAY!!!

RCRC’s 2016 Annual Meeting will be held September 28-30 at the Resort at Squaw Creek in Placer County.  This year’s program will feature experts discussing a wide range of topics of interest to rural counties including:

  • An Insider’s Perspective on the U.S. Supreme Court;
  • Balancing the Benefits and Challenges of Drones;
  • Implementation of a Medical Marijuana Regulatory Scheme in California;
  • Expert Commentary on the Current Political Landscape; and,
  • Navigating the Foster Care System.

To register for RCRC’s 2016 Annual Meeting or to access the current program, click here.

Annual Meeting Preview: Drones: Balancing Benefits and Challenges

The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, more commonly known as drones, by private citizens and commercial entities alike has drastically increased over the past decade.  As the use of drone technology becomes more prevalent, state and local governments have an interest in regulating to protect the privacy and safety of their constituents.  Drone technology also provides local governments with a new set of tools to conduct surveillance, emergency response, drought management, and property assessments, among other practical applications. Join us to hear leading experts discuss complex federal and state drone policy, and hear how local governments and commercial entities are using drone technology, and how state and local regulatory efforts are being carried out to advance public safety and privacy.

Tree Mortality Task Force Hosts Roundtable in Lake Tahoe

On Tuesday, the Tree Mortality Task Force (Task Force) hosted a roundtable discussion in Lake Tahoe, California to discuss federal, state, regional, and local efforts in response to tree mortality in the Sierra Nevada.  Members of the Task Force, including RCRC, gathered with California Natural Resources Secretary John Laird, representatives from Senator Dianne Feinstein’s office and Congressman Tom McClintock’s office, as well as the office of Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency to discuss strategies and action items to address the growing mortality problem in and around the Lake Tahoe region.  The roundtable was held in advance of the 20th Anniversary Lake Tahoe Summit, which took place the next day and featured President Barack Obama as the keynote speaker.

Legislature Passes Cap-and-Trade Spending Plan on the Last Day of Session

Late Wednesday night, the Legislature passed a modest spending plan for revenues from California’s Cap-and-Trade auction program after weeks of delaying action on the funds.  The plan allocates just $900 million of the estimated $2.4 billion available in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, directed mostly to urban areas, disadvantaged communities as defined by the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA), and programs focused on cutting petroleum usage.  

The plan contains only $40 million for waste diversion programs and $25 million for forest health programs, compared to $100 million and $140 million, respectively, originally proposed by Governor Brown earlier this year.  While many members lauded the plan for its benefit to disadvantaged communities and low income households, others noted that the plan spends much of the funds on the least cost effective emissions reductions programs rather than investing in programs with a better cost/benefit profile, such as forest health and waste diversion.  The final plan was not in print until late Tuesday night, when the Senate, Assembly and Governor finally reached consensus on a deal for the funds. 

California’s last two Cap-and-Trade auctions performed well below expectations, causing the Legislature to delay action on the plan to spend the available pot of revenues.  The Cap-and-Trade program is also under legal challenge as an unconstitutional tax on the industries required to comply, leaving the State at risk of having to repay capped entities for carbon allowances they were forced to purchase.  The uncertainties around the program led Legislators to reserve a large portion of the fund in what turned out to be the final 2016-17 expenditure plan, which now awaits the Governor’s signature. 

Last Minute Amendments Could Keep Biomass Facilities Running

Early Wednesday morning, Senate Bill 859, a budget trailer bill originally applying to drinking water and water rights, was amended to include provisions that place requirements on utilities to keep existing in-state biomass facilities open and help with mitigation of dead and dying trees in the State’s high hazard tree mortality areas.  

The bill requires utilities to procure 125 megawatts of generating capacity from already existing, in-state biomass facilities that were operating before June 1, 2013 through five-year contracts.  At least 80 percent of the feedstock (annually) from an eligible facility must be a byproduct of sustainable forest management practices, which includes the removal of dead and dying trees from Tier 1 and Tier 2 high hazard tree mortality zones.

While many stakeholders who have been working on the tree mortality and biomass front supported the provisions in the bill, utilities and environmental groups were not so quick to praise the amended bill.  Utilities expressed displeasure at having to pass costs onto ratepayers for energy that wouldn’t be used statewide, while environmental groups feared that not only would older, less clean biomass facilities benefit from the bill, but that healthy trees would be sacrificed in order to provide feedstock for the facilities to continue operating.  The bill was one of the last items to pass the Legislature on Wednesday night as it waited for the final votes needed to pass in the Senate.  SB 859 now awaits the Governor’s signature. 

RCRC Heads to Washington for Federal PILT Funding

Next week, Mariposa County Supervisor Kevin Cann will be traveling with RCRC staff to Washington, D.C. for the National Association of Counties (NACo) 2016 Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) Fly-In to continue advocacy efforts in support of the Federal PILT program.  Federal PILT provides payments to counties to help offset losses in property tax revenues due to nontaxable federal lands within their jurisdictions.  

Federal PILT was last reauthorized as part of the Federal budget negotiations in December 2014, and provided roughly $450 million to help support a variety of county activities and programs.  California’s counties received their 2015 Federal PILT payments in June of this year; however, future Federal PILT payments will need to be secured through the Federal budget process. 

RCRC will continue to advocate for a multi-year reauthorization and will urge Congress to take action to reauthorize the program before the end of the Federal government’s fiscal year on September 30, 2016.

BULLETIN BOARD

Water Discussion 2016

The Counties of Contra Costa, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano, and Yolo are hosting a roundtable discussion on water for California County leaders. The roundtable will provide attendees with the opportunity to share what's happening in their region, and hear how other regions are addressing critical water needs.  Representation is expected from the North State, Central Valley, Mountain Counties, Bay Area, Central Coast, and Southern California.

Click here

CWC Water Storage Investment Program Revised Draft Regulations

Click here

Being Prepared for Climate Change: A Workbook for Developing Risk-Based Adaptation Plans

Click here

Comments on Small Communities Flood Risk Reduction Program Guidelines and PSP due September 7, 2016

Click here

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

AB 1958 (Wood): Forestry: Timberlands: Restoration and Conservation.  Assembly Bill 1958 would authorize the Board of Forestry to grant a timber harvest plan (THP) exemption for the removal and commercial harvest of trees to restore and conserve California black or Oregon white oak woodlands, under specified conditions.  Status: Awaiting consideration by the Governor.  RCRC Position: Support

AB 2024 (Wood): Critical Access Hospitals: Employment.  Assembly Bill 2024 would allow critical access hospitals to directly employ physicians and bill for their professional services.  Status: Awaiting consideration by the Governor.  RCRC Position: Support

AB 2029 (Dahle): Timber Harvest Plans: Exemptions.  Assembly Bill 2029 would extend and expand the provisions of the existing Forest Fire Prevention Pilot Program. Status: Awaiting consideration by the Governor.  RCRC Position: Support

SB 867 (Roth): Emergency Medical Services.  Senate Bill 867 would extend the sunset date on the Maddy Emergency Medical Services Fund and continue to allow counties to collect funds to support local emergency medical services.  Status: Signed by the Governor, Chapter 147, Statues of 2016.  RCRC Position: Support

SB 957 (Hueso): Health Care Districts: Design-Build.  Senate Bill 957 would authorize all 78 of California’s healthcare districts to utilize the design-build process for the construction of hospitals or health facility buildings.  Status: Signed by the Governor, Chapter 212, Statutes of 2016.  RCRC Position: Support

SB 1212 (Hueso): 211 Information and Referral Network.  Senate Bill 1212 authorizes the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to expend up to $1.5 million from the California Teleconnect Fund for the purpose of expanding the statewide 2-1-1 network into all 58 of California’s counties.  Status: Awaiting consideration by the Governor.  RCRC Position: Support

SB 1463 (Moorlach): Electrical Lines: Mitigation of Wildfire Risks.  Senate Bill 1463 would require the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to prioritize communities that are at high risk from the consequences of wildfires when determining areas in which it will require enhanced mitigation measures for wildfire hazards posed by overhead electrical lines and equipment.  Status: Awaiting consideration by the Governor.  RCRC Position: Support