The 2009 Legislation to Reshape Delta Governance

2010 Water Law SymposiumU.S.F. School of Law, January 2010

Richard M. FrankExecutive Director

Center for Law, Energy & the EnvironmentSchool of Law

University of California, Berkeley(510) 642-8305

rfrank@law.berkeley.edu

Impetus for the 2009 Legislation

• Continued decline of Delta ecosystem• Stalling of Cal-Fed program & progress• PPIC research findings• Delta Vision Task Force findings & recommendations• Increased litigation over ESA/water delivery issues• Concern over Bay Delta Conservation Plan• Sacramento’s need for a “success story”

The 2009 Legislative Process:Not Quick & Not Pretty, but Ultimately Effective

The 5-Bill Package:

• SB 1 (Simitian/Steinberg)—Delta governance• SB 2 (Cogdill)—Water Bond Act• SB 6 (Steinberg/Pavley)—Groundwater

monitoring• SB 7 (Steinberg)—Water conservation policy• SB 8 (Steinberg)—Water rights system reform

SB 1 (Delta Governance Reform)• Adoption of (DVTF) policies• Creation of new Delta Stewardship Council• Revisions to Delta Protection Commission• Creation of new Delta Conservancy• Creation of new Delta “Watermaster”• Specification of “early actions”

– New Delta Independent Science Board– SWRCB flow criteria for Delta ecosystem– Others

SB 1—Delta Stewardship Council

• Seven-member body—composition• Adoption of “Delta Plan” by January 2012• DSC “consistency review” of local and state

“covered actions”– exemptions

• Other DSC duties

SB 2 (Delta Water Bond)• $11.14 billion General Obligation Bond Act• Purposes/objectives• Subject to voter approval in 11/2/10 election• Independence from other (substantive) bills• Key issues:

– Concern over level of additional GF indebtedness– Taxpayer support vs. “user pays” model– Water privatization concern– “Christmas tree” of various projects/benefits

SB 6 (Groundwater Monitoring)

• California’s lack of current GW regulation or monitoring

• Required monitoring & reporting of GW basin elevations (cf. water extraction amounts)

• Monitoring & reporting by local agencies; DWR default

• DWR’s overall GW collection/reporting duties

SB 7 (Water Conservation)• Partially codifies Governor’s directive of 20%

per capita water use reduction by 2020 • Urban water districts: 10% reduction by 2015;

20% by 2020• Agricultural sector: adopt “efficient water

mgmt. practices” & “water mgmt. plans”– No quantitative water use reductions required

• Sanction for non-compliance: disqualified from eligibility for state water grants/loans

SB 8 (Water Rights Reform)• Expands reporting obligations of surface water

diverters– eliminates exemption for in-Delta diverters

• Creates 25 new SWRCB water rights enforcement staff positions

• Funds $546 million for Delta ecosystem/water supply reliability purposes, from Propositions 1E & 84

Assessing the Delta/Water Legislation-A Panel Discussion

• Alf Brandt, Assembly Water, Parks & Wildlife Committee Staff

• Kate Poole, Attorney, Natural Resources Defense Council• Tim Quinn, Executive Director, Association of California

Water Agencies• Mariko Yamada, Member, California State Assembly (D-

8th District)

Question & Answer Period

For further information:

Richard M. FrankExecutive Director

Center for Law, Energy & the EnvironmentSchool of Law

University of California, Berkeley(510) 642-8305

rfrank@law.berkeley.edu