The following climate and natural resources related bills were passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor in the 2021 Legislative Session.

California Comeback Plan

The Budget Act of 2021 (SB 129, Skinner) is a $100 billion plan, including more than $15 billion for climate projects.

• $1.5 bn Wildfire and Forest Resilience Plan to increase the pace and scale of fuels management measures.
• $5.2 bn Water and Drought Resilience Package to support immediate drought response and long-term water resilience.
• $3.7 bn Climate Resilience Package to build resilience against the state’s multi-faceted climate risks in the communities bearing the brunt of climate change.
• $2.9 bn Zero Emission Vehicle Package to move faster toward ZEV in personal vehicles, mass transit, commercial transit, rail, and infrastructure.
• $1.1 bn to Support Climate-Smart Agriculture to support sustainable agriculture and create a resilient and equitable food system amid climate-driven drought and extreme heat.

Sea Level Rise

The Coastal Adaptation Permitting Act of 2021 (AB 72, Petrie-Norris) requires the Natural Resources Agency to explore, and implement, options to establish a more coordinated and efficient regulatory review and permitting process for coastal adaptation projects that use natural infrastructure, as defined. The bill would require the agency to submit, by July 1, 2023.

Coastal Resources: Sea Level Rise (SB 1, Atkins) directs the California Coastal Commission to take sea level rise into account in its planning, policies, and activities, and would establish the California Sea Level Rise State and Regional Support Collaborative, a cross-government group tasked with educating the public and advising local, regional, and state government on feasible sea level rise mitigation efforts.

Carbon Capture and Sequestration SB 27 (Skinner) is designed to accelerate the removal of climate-harming carbon from the atmosphere, partly by improving the carbon retention of the state’s natural and working lands. SB 27 directs the California Air Resources Board CARB) to include carbon sequestration targets in the next AB 32 Scoping Plan.