Existing law, the California Coastal Act of 1976 requires anyone wishing to perform or undertake any development in the coastal zone to obtain a coastal development permit from the California Coastal Commission.
This bill would authorize the Commission to authorize blue carbon demonstration projects in order to demonstrate and quantify the carbon sequestration potential of these projects to help inform the State’s natural and working lands and climate resilience strategies. The bill would, among other things, authorize the Commission to require an applicant with a project that impacts coastal wetland, sub-tidal, intertidal, or marine habitats or ecosystems to build or contribute to a blue carbon demonstration project. The act requires that new development in the coastal zone comply with specified requirements, including, among other things, requirements intended to minimize energy consumption and vehicle miles traveled, and, where appropriate, protect special communities and neighborhoods that, because of their unique characteristics, are popular visitor destination points for recreational uses. This bill would additionally require that new development minimize greenhouse gas emissions.
Committee location: (Updated 9/1/23) Held in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
