SB 1372

Bill Subjects

Abstract

(1) Existing law requires the Department of Fish and Wildlife, contingent upon funding being provided by the Wildlife Conservation Board or from other appropriate bond funds, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to investigate, study, and identify those areas in the state that are most essential as wildlife corridors and habitat linkages, as well as the impacts to those wildlife corridors from climate change, and requires the department to prioritize vegetative data development in these areas. This bill would additionally require the department to investigate, study, and identify impacts to those wildlife corridors from state infrastructure projects, including transportation and water projects, large-scale development projects not covered by an existing natural community conservation plan or habitat conservation plan, and planned or potential land conversions. The bill would also require the department to prioritize wildlife movement and habitat data development in those areas of the state that are most essential as wildlife corridors and habitat linkages. (2) Existing law requires the Department of Fish and Wildlife to administer the Significant Natural Areas Program and requires the department, among other things, to develop and maintain a spatial data system that identifies those areas in the state that are most essential for maintaining habitat connectivity, including wildlife corridors and habitat linkages. Existing law requires the department to seek input from representatives of other state agencies, local government, federal agencies, nongovernmental conservation organizations, landowners, agriculture, recreation, scientific entities, and industry in determining essential wildlife corridors and habitat linkages. Existing law also declares that it is the policy of the state to encourage, wherever feasible and practicable, voluntary steps to protect the functioning of wildlife corridors through various means. This bill would enact the Wildlife and Biodiversity Protection and Movement Act of 2020 and would require the state to build off of existing programs and plans, including the State Wildlife Action Plan, to proactively protect and enhance wildlife corridors and design infrastructure to maximize wildlife connectivity. The bill would require the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency and the Secretary of Transportation to coordinate with the Habitat Conservation Planning Branch of the Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Division of Environmental Analysis of the Department of Transportation to ensure that the Significant Natural Areas Program and the California Essential Habitat Connectivity Project are updated, as specified, and incorporated into future transportation and water infrastructure planning and design to allow for maximum wildlife passage features. The bill would require the secretaries, in implementing these provisions, to identify and incorporate, as appropriate, specified information as an addendum in both the Significant Natural Areas Program and the California Essential Habitat Connectivity Project. The bill would require the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency, in coordination with the Secretary of Transportation, to establish the Ira Ruskin Wildlife Habitat Connectivity Advance Mitigation Pilot Program to create compensatory mitigation credits that can be used to address existing barriers identified in the California Essential Habitat Connectivity Project and offset significant California Environmental Quality Act impacts of future transportation and water projects that impact wildlife connectivity. The bill would require the Department of Transportation to identify a corridor coordinator in each Department of Transportation (Caltrans) district to, among other things, lead the wildlife habitat connectivity program for that region and to coordinate with regional staff of the Department of Fish and Wildlife. The bill would require the Strategic Growth Council to hold one public hearing each year focused on infrastructure design and wildlife corridors. The bill would require the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency, in developing guidelines to implement these provisions, to consider specified project impacts for a Caltrans district to be eligible for an application of mitigation credits. (3) Existing law creates the Advance Mitigation Program in the Department of Transportation to enhance communications between the department and stakeholders to, among other things, protect natural resources and accelerate project delivery. Existing law authorizes the department, for the purpose of implementing the program, to develop a programmatic mitigation plan to address the potential environmental impacts of future transportation projects for the purpose of required mitigation approved by federal, state, and local agencies. Existing law requires the department to set aside not less than $30,000,000 annually for 4 years, commencing with the 2017–18 fiscal year, for the program from specified state transportation programs for purposes of the Advance Mitigation Program. Existing law creates the Advance Mitigation Account and continuously appropriates moneys in the account for purposes of the program, and specifies what those funds can be used for. This bill would additionally require those funds to be used to modify or remove wildlife connectivity barriers not covered by existing regulatory programs. The bill would require that a programmatic mitigation plan also include wildlife corridor connectivity enhancement or protection. By expanding the purposes for which a continuously appropriated account may be used, the bill would make an appropriation.