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Comment 116 for 2013 Investment Plan for Cap-and-Trade Auction Proceeds (2013investmentpln-ws) - 1st Workshop.


First Name: Brittany
Last Name: Heck
Email Address: Brittany@goldridgercd.org
Affiliation: Gold Ridge Resource Conservation Distric

Subject: Resource Conservation Districts and AB 32
Comment:
March 8, 2013

Chairman Mary Nichols
California Air Resources Board
1001 "I" Street 
Sacramento, CA 95814

Dear Chairman Nichols,

We know that you are familiar with the great work RCDs are doing
throughout the State. On behalf of the Gold Ridge Resource
Conservation District and the 99 Resource Conservation Districts in
the State of California, we find it imperative that investments of
AB 32 revenues be made in farmland preservation, watershed
protection, and natural resource conservation. We make specific
recommendations below of programs that can benefit job creation,
greenhouse gas reduction, avoidance of future greenhouse gas
creation, and will provide multiple other benefits including
habitat, clean water, strong rural communities, and resilient food
systems. While transportation reduction is an important goal,
augmenting that spending with the programs enumerated in this
letter will bring a greater net benefit to the State of California
by providing both direct greenhouse gas reduction and secondary
benefits for a cleaner, stronger, more livable California.

In addition, we recommend that Resource Conservation Districts are
the correct implementing body for many of these programs. As the
local hub of State-level conservation programs and local
communities, RCDs provide a critical link in connecting landowners
and local actors to the overarching goals identified in AB 32. We
have the resources, expertise, statutory authority under Division 9
of the Public Resources Code and connection with the landowner that
is necessary to create meaningful, quantifiable, accountable and
lasting change. This type of buy-in is essential to creating a long
term response to California’s pressing GHG reduction needs. 

1)	Conserve working lands including farmland, forests, and range. 
Conserving lands from urban development reduces the total vehicle
miles traveled, creates lands that serve as sinks for carbon in
plant and soils, and creates strong rural economies that serve as
the backbone for California’s economy. 
Programs to invest in include:
California Farmland Conservation Program housed in the Department
of Conservation
Williamson Act Subvention Funds
Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program housed in the Department of
Conservation
Resource Conservation Districts for on-the-ground conservation
projects

2)	Conserve wildlands, parks and natural areas
Conserving properly managed wildlands creates carbon sinks in
plants and soils while providing for the natural heritage that
makes California unique.

Programs to invest in include:
The Wildlife Conservation Board
Department of Fish and Wildlife easement programs
Resource Conservation Districts for on-the-ground conservation
projects

3)	Provide stewardship of California’s watersheds
Watershed protection is vital to creating a resilient, healthy
water supply, preserving carbon sinks in protecting wetland
corridors and other natural features, building wide spread support
and networks for GHG reduction, reducing agricultural and
residential water use and thus energy use, avoiding soil loss (thus
creating carbon sinks), providing habitat for California’s wildlife
and building the natural and rural character of California.
Programs to invest in include:
We make a strong recommendation to support the Statewide Watershed
Program and the Resource Conservation District Assistance Program
both housed in the Department of Conservation. The programs support
natural resource conservation projects implemented in coordination
with landowners within targeted watersheds in the state. The
Statewide Watershed Program funds watershed coordinators and
on-the-ground, conservation projects that provide tangible and
significant natural resource conservation benefits. The Resource
Conservation District Assistance Program offers technical and
financial assistance to Resource Conservation Districts to support
their land stewardship work with local landowners. Both programs
can be scaled up to target projects statewide to reduce GHG
emissions and sequester carbon. 

Other programs that support landowner assistance in ways that would
help reduce GHG emissions:
Fertilizer Research Enhancement Program in the Department of Food
and Agriculture

AB 32 marks a significant change in California’s response to the
collective challenges we face. It is essential that we answer those
challenges in a thoughtful, holistic, well-rounded way in order to
guide the future of our State. An emphasis on multiple benefits,
thoughtful consideration of total impact, and a commitment to
strong rural economies and the preservation of California’s unique
natural resources will serve as strong guiding principles for the
future of California. 

Thank You,



Brittany Heck
Executive Director

Attachment: www.arb.ca.gov/lists/com-attach/136-2013investmentpln-ws-AGdWP1M+WW4BWAFz.pdf

Original File Name: Gold Ridge RCD AB 32.pdf

Date and Time Comment Was Submitted: 2013-03-07 16:49:02



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