June 8, 2018
The Honorable Bob Wieckowski, Chair Senate Environmental Quality Committee State Capitol Building Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: AB 1945 (E. Garcia): Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund – SUPPORT
Dear Chair Wieckowski:
On behalf of above signatories, we am writing to inform you of our support of AB 1945 regarding the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF).
Importantly, AB 1945 adds “public and community access” to the list of co-benefits for consideration when scoring specified grants pursuant to Green House Gas Reduction (GGRF) fund proceeds. Currently, the Urban Greening and Urban Forest Programs offer important urban benefits including the refashioning and repurposing of landscapes for increased carbon capture. However, in investing in these and other improvements, granting entities and applicants alike are not required to contemplate maximizing or introducing community use as a relevant benefit. Likewise GGRF funds have been awarded to fund natural landscape acquisitions and improvements in settings that include mountain meadows, watersheds and coastal wetlands. While not all public access opportunities can be harmonized with preferred land use policies related to sensitive lands, granting and applicant entities, similar to the Urban Greening Program, should be required under specific circumstances to factor in public access as a relevant benefit.
Several years into programming for the GGRF, we are learning what works and what is not working for ensuring this funding reaches the intended audience. AB 1945 seeks to improve access to programs funded by the GGRF by expanding the list of co-benefits, aligning application scoring with implementation of AB 617 (Chapter 136, Statutes of 2017), and reporting on applications. This bill further corrects an inequity specific to Imperial and San Diego Counties by allowing applicants to count daytime population in their applications for funding.
Questions regarding this letter may be directed to Doug Houston (916) 447-9884. We respectfully request your support for AB 1945.
Sincerely,
Douglas D. Houston, Executive Director State Park Partners Coalition (SPPC)
Stephanie Stephens, Executive Director California Park & Recreation Society (CPRS)
Robert E. Doyle, General Manager East Bay Regional Park District
Bert Whitaker, Director Sonoma County Regional Parks
Sam Roberts, President, Board of Director Friends of the Inyo
Laura Cohen, J.D., Director, Western Region Rails to Trails Conservancy
Sean Barclay, General Manager Tahoe City Public Utility District
Matthew McClain, Executive Director Mammoth Lakes Recreation
Rue Mapp, Founder & CEO Outdoor Afro
Erin Tarr, Co-Executive Director Bear Yuba Land Trust
Steve Frisch, President Sierra Business Council
Jeff Darlington, Executive Director Placer Land Trust
Kay Ogden, Executive Director Eastern Sierra Land Trust
Jenny Hatch, Executive Director Sierra Nevada Alliance
Bridget Fithian, Executive Director Sierra Foothill Conservancy
Perry Norris, Executive Director Truckee Donner Land Trust
Rico Mastrodonato, Senior Government Relations Manager The Trust for Public Land
cc: The Honorable Members of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee
Assembly Member Eduardo Garcia Rachel Machi Wagoner, Chief Consultant, Senate Environmental Quality Committee Morgan Branch, Consultant, Senate Republican Caucus
