Energy: Voluntary Offshore Wind and Coastal Resources Protection Program: community capacity funding activities and grants.

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not specify the exact details on how much money will be allocated for these new activities.

Voluntary Offshore Wind and Coastal Resources Protection Program: Community Capacity Funding

This law allows the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission to provide funding for local communities, tribal governments, nonprofits representing tribes' interests, and coalitions of these groups to support offshore wind projects and protect coastal resources.

What This Bill Does

• Expands the types of activities that can be funded by the Voluntary Offshore Wind and Coastal Resources Protection Fund to include community capacity building grants.
• Makes local communities, tribal governments, nonprofit organizations representing tribes' interests, and coalitions of these entities eligible for these grants.
• Requires offshore wind companies to report donations made to eligible entities every 90 days.
• Changes the reporting requirements from monthly reports by the commission to annual reports on the internet website about donations received by eligible entities.
• Requires an annual report to be submitted to the Legislature detailing how the funds are used and their effectiveness.

Who It Names or Affects

• Local communities
• Tribal governments
• Nonprofit organizations representing tribal interests
• Coalitions of local and tribal groups

Terms To Know

Voluntary Offshore Wind and Coastal Resources Protection Program

A program that supports state activities related to offshore wind development while protecting coastal resources.

Capacity funding

Money given to help communities prepare for and manage the impacts of offshore wind projects.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify how much money will be allocated for these new activities.
• It is unclear what specific information must be included in the annual reports submitted by eligible entities.
• Details on how the eligibility criteria are applied to coalitions of local and tribal groups have not been defined.

Official Summary Text

AB 1417, Stefani.
Energy: Voluntary Offshore Wind and Coastal Resources Protection Program: community capacity funding activities and grants.
Existing law establishes the Voluntary Offshore Wind and Coastal Resources Protection Program, which is administered by the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission for the purpose of supporting state activities that complement and are in furtherance of federal laws related to the development of offshore wind facilities. Existing law creates, and continuously appropriates moneys in, the Voluntary Offshore Wind and Coastal Resources Protection Fund in the State Treasury for purposes of the program and the Private Donations Account, which is created in the fund. Existing law authorizes the commission to accept federal and private sector moneys for purposes of the program and requires the private sector moneys to be deposited into the donations account and the federal moneys to be deposited into the fund. Existing law makes records of the donations received subject
to public disclosure. Existing law requires the commission to post a report on its internet website, within 30 days of receiving a donation, with specified information regarding each donation received. Existing law authorizes the commission to allocate moneys in the fund or donations account for specified purposes, including workforce development grants.
This bill would additionally authorize the commission to allocate moneys in the fund or account for capacity funding activities and grants within local communities and tribal communities for purposes of the program. The bill would make only a
local community, a
local government, a California tribe, a nonprofit organization selected by California tribes to represent their interests, or a coalition of these entities eligible for these capacity funding activities and grants. By expanding the purposes for which continuously appropriated moneys may be allocated, the bill would make an appropriation.
This bill would make the public disclosure requirement described above
applicable to donations received by an eligible entity from an offshore wind entity, as defined, and would require an offshore wind entity to report, every 90 days, specified information concerning these donations to the commission. The bill would delete the requirement for the commission to post a report on its internet website for donations received by the commission, as described above, and would instead require the commission to annually post a report on its internet website related to donations made by offshore wind entities to eligible entities, as specified. The bill would require the commission to annually prepare and submit a report, on or before March 1 of each year, to the Legislature on the implementation and effectiveness of the activities and grants funded pursuant to the bill.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF