AB 243 (Wood) Medical Marijuana Cultivation
CalTrout supports this bill to assess a fee on the cultivation of medical marijuana. We are actively working on legislative language to direct some of the fee money to mitigate for the impacts of medical marijuana grows on streamflow and riparian habitats.
SB 643 (McGuire) Medical Marijuana
CalTrout supports this bill to establish the Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulation with the power to issue marijuana cultivation licenses, permits, and penalties. The license, penalty, and permitting process would raise funds to regulate the marijuana cultivation industry and fund other activities like law enforcement. CalTrout is working to include environmental restoration in the activities that could be funded by the license and permitting fee.
SB 788 (McGuire) CA Coastal Protection Act
CalTrout provided written support for California Coastal Protection Act of 2015, which will not only protect our Marine Protected Areas, but also help the state achieve its greenhouse gas reduction targets and help the Governor in his desire to reduce fossil fuel consumption by 50 percent. The bill closes a loophole that allows oil drilling in Marine Protected Areas.
SB 317 (De Leon) State
Parks Bond
CalTrout strongly supports this legislation, which would put a bond on the 2016 ballot to fund open space and parks projects in California. The bond currently includes $370,000,000 for rivers, lakes, and streams, $350,000,000 for coastal watersheds, estuaries, and ocean ecosystems, and $280,000,000 for climate resilience. This parks bond gives Californians an opportunity to provide emergency funding for ecological systems that are in danger due to drought and climate change.
AB 590 (Dahle) Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund – Biomass Plants
CalTrout supports this bill by Asm. Dahle to allow for the use of Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to maintain biomass electric generation plants. This bill would allow for the use of funds to help cover the costs of forest thinning to feed biomass plants, encouraging better forest management to restore watersheds, protect sensitive habitats and reduce the threat of wildfire.