Huffman Rolls Out Package of Environmental Bills

Assemblyman Jared Huffman, who represents Novato in the state Legislature, has announced the introduction of a package of environmental bills that will help save cash-strapped state parks, block the use of toxic pavement sealants and restore habitat for threatened Coho salmon.

The bills are AB 1589, the California State Parks Stewardship Act; AB 1704, Coal Tar Sealant Ban; and AB 1961, the Coho Salmon Habitat Enhancement Leading to Preservation (HELP) Act.

 “Throughout my career in public service, I have devoted special attention toward protecting California’s natural resources so they can be maintained for generations,” said Huffman, D-San Rafael, said in a press release. “These bills continue this goal by addressing several pressing environmental concerns: finding creative ways to keep our state parks open, preventing carcinogenic pavement sealants from contaminating our environment, and giving California’s native Coho salmon species a better chance at survival and recovery.”

Here are more details of the bills according to information from Huffman's office:

AB 1589, the California State Parks Stewardship Act of 2012, contains several proposals that address short and long term needs for California State Parks in order to achieve substantial budget savings without wide scale park closures.

“We have an opportunity with this legislation to not only prevent park closures, but to begin to reinvigorate our neglected California State Parks system,” said Huffman. “This bill is about charting a more sustainable approach to managing and financing our treasured state parks so that they will continue to be there for our economy and quality of life, and so that we can protect the valuable natural and cultural resources our parks contain.”

Here are some key provisions of AB 1589:

1)  Encourages formation of a state compact that guarantees an ongoing level of state funding for operations and maintenance of state parks.

2)  Creates a State Park Enterprise Fund to be used for construction and installation of modern revenue and fee collection equipment and technologies to increase park visitation and revenues.

3)  Produces a California State Park environmental license plate which individual vehicle owners could purchase and have the fees go towards support of state parks.

4)  Provides the option for taxpayers to voluntarily purchase an annual state park access pass when they file their state tax returns.

5)  Requires the Department of Parks and Recreation to be more transparent on how it evaluates and selects specific parks for closure, and places a cap of 25 state park units on the number of park closures allowed from 2012 to 2016 without legislative approval.

“Keeping state parks open is vital to our local and state economies,” said Caryl Hart, Director of Sonoma County Regional Parks. “While our communities are working hard at the local level to partner with the state to help keep the parks open, it is also imperative that the state identify new revenue opportunities and strategies to ensure the long term sustainability of our state parks.”

The second bill, AB 1704, Coal Tar Sealant Ban, prohibits the sale and use of coal tar pavement sealant, a toxic black liquid sprayed on some parking lots and driveways. This sealant contains high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), identified as probable carcinogens by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Coal tar sealants degrade over time from tire friction and release toxic chemical dust that washes into storm drains, contaminating California’s aquatic ecosystems critical to the food chain. The public is also exposed to these cancer-causing chemicals through a variety of pathways. Children are particularly at risk because they put their hands and objects into their mouths and play on or near floors where carpets concentrate and retain toxics. Cost-effective asphalt-based alternatives are available and widely used in California.

“Coal tar sealants are used to preserve and beautify parking lots and driveways, but regular wear and tear can lead to chemical runoff into our waterways and indoor air pollution in our homes,” said Huffman. “My bill will ban their use in 2013 to eliminate the threat they pose to public health and our environment.”

“Toxic chemicals washing off of streets, parking lots and industrial facilities is one of the worst sources of water pollution to the Bay,” said Deb Self, Executive Director of San Francisco Baykeeper, whose mission is to protect the Bay from pollution. “Banning coal tar sealants in California just makes sense.”

The third bill, AB 1961, the Coho Salmon HELP Act, expedites the approval of projects designed to provide permanent habitat enhancement for Coho salmon, which are native to California.

Coho salmon have virtually disappeared in some areas of California; in other areas they are teetering on the brink of extinction. Under this bill, the California Department of Fish and Game can more efficiently and effectively work with governmental and non-governmental partners to approve immediate on-the-ground habitat restoration projects to aid California’s struggling Coho salmon populations.

“We cannot sit idly by and let an iconic North Coast fish disappear from California,” said Huffman. “My bill is about taking thoughtful, immediate actions to create near-term results. Coho salmon can’t afford to wait and neither can the communities where these restoration projects would provide much needed jobs.”

“This bill will help resolve conflicts between water supply management, industrial practices, and one of our most threatened fish species,” said Brian Johnson, California Director for Trout Unlimited. “We look forward to working with the author to provide non-profits, local water agencies, and others with the opportunity to contribute towards the restoration of our watersheds, for the benefit of us all.”

“Declining coastal salmon populations need immediate attention,” said Curtis Knight, Conservation Director for California Trout. “These fish need abundant water. They need access to spawning habitat. And they need wood in the streams to create shelter and cool, deep pools. AB 1961 will help us and our partners provide some of these basic needs in our coastal streams.”

“The expedited review offered by AB 1961 will allow landowners to more easily return our streams and rivers to what they once were: free-flowing, complex, and able to support abundant wild salmon,” said Brian Stranko, North & Central Coast Regional Director, The Nature Conservancy.

AB 1589 was to be heard on Tuesday, March 20, in the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee. Policy committee hearings for the other two bills will be scheduled shortly.