SACRAMENTO — Assemblyman V. Manuel Pérez, D-Coachella, announced recently that he has launched a multi-level campaign to kick start Salton Sea restoration.
Titled the Save Our Sea campaign, Perez introduced Assembly Bill 71, the Salton Sea Restoration Governance Act; AB 147, the Salton Sea Air Pollution Mitigation Act; and AB 148 to create a mechanism to facilitate further development of the sea’s renewable energy potential.
“With an issue of this magnitude and complexity, there is obviously no silver bullet. My hope, though, is that by working together with all stakeholders we will make 2013 the year we get on track to save the Salton Sea. The Save Our Sea campaign takes a multi-level approach,” he said in a prepared statement.
“To begin, AB 71 puts forth a consensus governance model that all parties agreed to last year, so we can move forward with restoration decision-making. It also assures funding to conduct a funding feasibility plan which will create a foundation for helping us determine how we pay for the restoration.
“Next, AB 147 compels state action to plan for the air quality impacts of the Quantification Settlement Agreement. This will be an important tool to ensure the state is both ready and accountable when it comes to the significant air-quality impacts due to the water transfers.
“In addition, AB 148 helps us to think big about tapping the renewable energy potential of the sea. It creates a grant program for (research and development) pilot projects to explore the development of renewable and biofuel energy sources at the sea, which can serve as a source of financing to sustain what will be a long-term restoration.
“In addition to legislation, I have issued a request to the Joint Legislative Audit Committee for a full evaluation of how the Department of Fish & Game and the Department of Water Resources have managed the dollars in the Salton Sea Restoration Fund. We need to get a handle on how much money is in the fund and how those dollars are being used to ensure the state is upholding its part of the bargain when it comes to restoring the sea,” Perez said in the statement.
In creating the Save Our Sea initiative, Pérez used as a case study the situation facing the Owens Valley. In 1913, a rural-to-urban water transfer brought about the draining of Owens Lake by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. More than 100 square miles of lakebed was exposed, creating the single largest known source of fugitive dust in the United States. For decades that region has struggled with its air quality and spent more than $1 billion to stem dust pollution, and it is still undertaking a costly mitigation.
All three bills have been referred to Assembly Rules Committee, where they are awaiting assignment to the appropriate policy committee. To read the legislation, visit http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/
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