11/14/2008 GAAS:779:08 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Print Version |
Gov. Schwarzenegger Issues Executive Order Directing State Agencies to Plan for Sea Level Rise and Climate Impacts
Given the serious threat of sea level rise to California's
water supply and coastal resources and the impact it would have on our state's
economy, population and natural resources, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today
issued an Executive Order (EO) S-13-08 to enhance the state's management of climate
impacts from sea level rise, increased temperatures, shifting
precipitation and extreme weather events.
"We have to adapt the way we work and plan in order to
manage the impacts and challenges that California and our entire planet face
from climate change," Governor Schwarzenegger said. "Given the serious threat
of sea level rise to California's water supply, population and our economy,
it's critically important that we make sure the state is prepared when heavy
rains cause flooding and the potential for sea level rise increases in future
years."
There are four key actions in the EO including: (1) initiate
California's first statewide climate change adaptation strategy that will
assess the state's expected climate change impacts, identify where California
is most vulnerable and recommend climate adaptation policies by early 2009; (2)
request the National Academy of Science establish an expert panel to report on
sea level rise impacts in California to inform state planning and development
efforts; (3) issue interim guidance to state agencies for how to plan for sea
level rise in designated coastal and floodplain areas for new projects; and (4)
initiate a report on critical existing and planned infrastructure projects
vulnerable to sea level rise.
One key benefit that the EO will facilitate is California's
first comprehensive climate adaptation strategy. This effort will improve
coordination within state government and adapt the way work so that better
planning can more effectively address climate impacts to human health, the
environment, the state's water supply and the economy.
Another benefit from the EO includes providing consistency
and clarity to state agencies on how to address sea level rise in current
planning efforts, reducing time and resources unnecessarily spent on developing
different policies using different scientific information.
The EO and its actions carry on the Governor's environmental
leadership by continuing to address climate change adaptation in coordination
with our climate change mitigation policies as outlined in AB 32. The states of
Washington and Oregon, as well as Canada and Mexico, along with several global
institutions have expressed interest in coordinating our climate change
adaptation policies as outlined in this EO.
California's Energy Commission, the California Ocean
Protection Council and Caltrans are conducting numerous scientific studies on
the impact of climate change, including new sea level rise impact projections
that are being used to develop the state's climate change adaptation strategy.
Full text of executive order:
EXECUTIVE
ORDER S-13-08
by the
Governor of the State of California
WHEREAS climate
change in California during the next century is expected to shift precipitation
patterns, accelerate sea level rise and increase temperatures, thereby posing a
serious threat to California's economy, to the health and welfare of its
population and to its natural resources; and
WHEREAS California is a leader in mitigating and reducing its greenhouse gas emissions
with the 2006 Global Warming Solutions Act (Assembly Bill 32), the Low Carbon
Fuel Standard (Executive Order S-01-07), the 2008 Senate Bill 375 and the
Renewable Portfolio Standard; and
WHEREAS these
efforts, coupled with others around the world, will slow, but not stop all
long-term climate impacts to California; and
WHEREAS California
must begin now to adapt and build our resiliency to coming climate changes
through a thoughtful and
sensible approach with local, regional, state and federal government using the
best available science; and
WHEREAS there is a need
for statewide consistency in planning for sea level
rise; and
WHEREAS California's water supply and coastal resources, including valuable natural
habitat areas, are particularly vulnerable to sea level rise over the next
century and could suffer devastating consequences if adaptive measures are not
taken; and
WHEREAS the country's longest
continuously operating gauge of sea level, at Fort Point in San Francisco Bay,
recorded a seven-inch rise in sea level over the 20th century
thereby demonstrating the vulnerability of infrastructure and resources within
the Bay; and
WHEREAS global sea
level rise for the next century is projected to rise faster than historical
levels with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicting that
global sea levels will rise by between seven to 23 inches this century and some
experts predicting even higher rises; and
WHEREAS while climate
models predicting global sea level rise are generally
understood and improving, less information is available for sea level rise
projections specific to California that accounts for California's topography,
coastal erosion rates, varying land subsidence levels and tidal variations; and
WHEREAS billions of
dollars in state funding for infrastructure and resource management projects
are currently being encumbered in areas that are potentially vulnerable to
future sea level rise;
and
WHEREAS safety,
maintenance and operational efforts on existing infrastructure projects are
critical to public safety and the economy of the state; and
WHEREAS the longer that
California delays planning and adapting to sea level
rise the more expensive
and difficult adaptation will be; and
WHEREAS the California
Resources Agency is a member of the California Climate Action Team and is
leading efforts to develop and implement policy solutions related to climate
change adaptation regarding current and projected effects of climate change;
and
WHEREAS the Department of
Water Resources (DWR) is responsible for managing the state's water resources to
benefit the people of California, and to protect, restore and enhance the natural
and human environments; and
WHEREAS California's coastal management
agencies such as the California Coastal Commission, the California Ocean
Protection Council (OPC) and California State Parks are charged with managing
and protecting the ocean and coastal resources of the state; and
WHEREAS the California
Energy Commission's (CEC) Public Interest Energy Research Program has funded
research on climate change since 2001 including funding the development of
preliminary sea level rise projections for the San Francisco Bay area by the
Scripps Institution of Oceanography/University of California at San Diego.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, ARNOLD
SCHWARZENEGGER, Governor of the State of California, by virtue of the power vested
in me by the Constitution and statutes of the State of California, do hereby
order effective immediately:
1.
The California Resources Agency, in cooperation with DWR, CEC,
California's coastal management agencies, and the OPC, shall request that the
National Academy of Sciences (NAS) convene an independent panel to complete the
first California Sea Level Rise Assessment Report and initiate, within 60 days
after the signing of this Order, an independent sea level rise
science and policy committee made up of state, national and
international experts.
2.
By
March 31, 2009, the OPC, DWR and the CEC, in coordination with other state
agencies, shall hold a public workshop to gather policy-relevant information
specific to California for use in preparing the Sea
Level Rise Assessment Report and to raise state awareness of sea level rise impacts.
3.
The
California Resources Agency shall request that the final Sea Level Rise
Assessment Report be completed as soon as possible but no later than December 1,
2010. The final Sea Level Rise Assessment Report will advise how
California should plan for future sea level rise. The report should
include: (1) relative sea level rise projections specific to California, taking
into account issues such as coastal erosion rates, tidal impacts, El Niño and
La Niña events, storm surge and land subsidence rates; (2) the range of
uncertainty in selected sea level rise projections; (3) a synthesis of existing
information on projected sea level rise impacts to state infrastructure (such
as roads, public facilities and beaches), natural areas, and coastal and marine
ecosystems; and (4) a discussion of future research needs regarding sea level
rise for California.
4.
The
OPC shall work with DWR, the CEC, California's coastal management agencies and
the State Water Resources Control Board to conduct a review of the NAS
assessment every two years or as necessary.
5.
I direct that, prior to release of the final Sea Level Rise
Assessment Report from the NAS, all state agencies within my administration
that are planning construction projects in areas vulnerable to future sea level
rise shall, for the purposes of planning, consider a range of sea level rise
scenarios for the years 2050 and 2100 in order to assess project vulnerability and,
to the extent feasible, reduce expected risks and increase resiliency to sea
level rise. However, all projects that have filed a Notice of
Preparation, and/or are programmed for construction funding the next five
years, or are routine maintenance projects as of the date of this Order may,
but are not required to, account for these planning guidelines. Sea level
rise estimates should also be used in conjunction with appropriate local
information regarding local uplift and subsidence, coastal erosion rates,
predicted higher high water levels, storm surge and storm wave data.
6.
The Business, Transportation, and Housing Agency shall work with
the California Resources Agency and the Governor's Office of Planning and
Research (OPR) to prepare a report within 90 days of release of this Order to
assess vulnerability of transportation systems to sea level rise that will
include provisions for investment critical to safety, maintenance and
operational improvements of the system and economy of the state.
7.
By
June 30, 2009, the California Resources Agency, through the Climate Action
Team, shall coordinate with local, regional, state and federal public and
private entities to develop a state Climate Adaptation Strategy. The
strategy will summarize the best known science on climate change impacts to
California (led by CEC's PIER program), assess California's vulnerability to
the identified impacts and then outline solutions that can be implemented
within and across state agencies to promote resiliency. A water adaptation
strategy will be coordinated by DWR with input from the State Water Resources
Control Board, an ocean and coastal resources adaptation strategy will be
coordinated by the OPC, an infrastructure adaptation strategy will be
coordinated by the California Department of Transportation, a biodiversity
adaptation strategy will be jointly coordinated by the California Department of
Fish and Game and California State Parks, a working landscapes adaptation
strategy will be jointly coordinated by the California Department of Forestry
and Fire Protection and the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and
a public health adaptation strategy will be jointly coordinated by the
California Department of Public Health and the California Air Resources Board,
all as part of the larger strategy. This strategy will be facilitated
through the Climate Action Team and will be coordinated with California's
climate change mitigation efforts.
8.
By
May 30, 2009, OPR, in cooperation with the California Resources Agency, shall
provide state land-use planning guidance related to sea level rise and other
climate change impacts.
This Order is not intended to,
and does not, create any rights or benefits, substantive or procedural,
enforceable at law or in equity, against the State of California, its agencies,
departments, entities, officers, employees, or any other person.
I FURTHER DIRECT that as soon as
hereafter possible, this Order shall be filed with the Office of the Secretary
of State and that widespread publicity and notice be given to this Order.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my
hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this
14th day of November 2008.
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER
Governor of California
ATTEST:
Debra Bowen
Secretary of State
