POLICY BRIEFING BY SEN. TED W. LIEU: Helping Coastal Conservancy address climate change is goal of Senate Bill 1066

Environmental concerns prompt legislation

                                                    By Ted W. Lieu
                                       Senator, 28th Senate District
SACRAMENTO – If you’re curious about the devastating effects of rising sea levels, think back to the televised footage about what happened a year ago in Japan on March 11, 2011.  The rolling tsunami tidal wave killed thousands of unsuspecting Japanese residents off the coastal city of Fukishima.  Climate change has the effect of a slow-motion earthquake, eventually resulting in catastrophic consequences.

 The threat of rising sea levels is real – and inevitable if the alarming climate change trend continues, according to decades of near-unanimous scientific evidence.  Global warming also causes more extreme weather events to occur.  Helping to protect our precious coast from the potential devastating effects of climate change and rising sea levels is why I introduced Senate Bill 1066.

SB 1066 is needed because rising sea levels and storm-driven waves pose direct risks to the state's coastal resources.  With the coastal economy contributing $46 billion annually to the state and with 80 percent of California's 38 million residents living within 30 miles of the coast, we must take steps now to ensure the coastal economy and environment survives.  Underscoring the need for SB 1066 is a review of recent record-high temperatures, changing weather patterns, and rising ocean levels.

According to Louis Blumberg, climate change program director for the Nature Conservancy, “SB 1066 will help ensure that our coastal communities, economy and the critical natural resources that we rely on are prepared and protected against the impacts of a changing climate.”

For more than 30 years, the California Coastal Conservancy has worked with public and private entities to protect, restore and enhance coastal resources and habitats, including deteriorating urban waterfronts and poorly designed coastal development. SB 1066 would explicitly authorize the Conservancy to address the impacts of climate change and how we can adapt to a hotter earth.

It’s in all our interests to help ensure the Coastal Conservancy can continue to work on addressing climate change, especially those projects that maximize public benefits.  Any costs of SB 1066 would be paid with non-state funds.

The bill was approved today by the Senate Natural Resources Committee. It next faces a likely fiscal review before heading to the Senate Floor. If you agree this issue is important, I welcome your support.

For more, visit Lieu’s Web site at the address below or contact Lieu’s office.
Ted W. Lieu chairs the Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee and represents nearly 1 million residents of Senate District 28, which includes the cities of Carson, El Segundo, Hermosa Beach, Lomita, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach and Torrance, as well as portions of Long Beach, Los Angeles and San Pedro. For more, visit www.senate.ca.gov/lieu