In the last days of the 2014 Legislative Session, the Senate and Assembly approved a three bill package to advance the sustainable management of groundwater. The package is now headed to the Governor’s desk, where he is expected to sign them into law.
The three bills would enact the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. Senate Bill 1168 (Pavley) includes provisions related to establishing groundwater sustainability agencies and the adoption of groundwater sustainability plans, while Assembly Bill 1739 (Dickinson) includes provisions related to implementation tools and enforcement. Senate Bill 1319 (Pavley) is a “clean-up” bill that contains language changes agreed upon too late to be amended into either of the two primary bills.
During an Assembly Appropriations Committee hearing on SB 1168 the evening of Thursday August 28, Senator Pavley pledged to work with the opposition and other stakeholders next year to address unresolved issues, including the creation of an expedited adjudication process. RCRC will be working with our member counties on the provisions of the bill package to determine any changes or additions needed to be addressed in the next legislative session.
Amendments to the bill package relating to local land use authority, among other things, resulted in RCRC removing opposition to the bills. SB 1168 can be accessed here. AB 1739 can be accessed here. SB 1319 can be accessed here.