BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

 

H.B. 2074

By: Bonnen

Land & Resource Management

Committee Report (Unamended)

 

 

 

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

 

The state Coastal Erosion Planning and Response Act (CEPRA) directs the Commissioner of the General Land Office to develop a coastal erosion response plan in coordination with state and federal agencies and local governments.  Current law provides that the plan must identify critical erosion areas and prioritize coastal erosion project so that benefits are balanced coast-wide.  Existing criteria for funding considerations often result in numerous smaller projects that may not have long term benefit. 

 

H.B. 2074 authorizes the commissioner to designate critical erosion areas in the state’s coastal erosion response plan, and authorizes the commissioner to conduct a coast-wide analysis of the costs and benefits of coastal erosion avoidance, remediation, and planning.  These changes in law will result in more focused funding decisions regarding the allocation of limited resources. 

 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. 

 

ANALYSIS

 

H.B. 2074 amends the Natural Resources Code to allow the commissioner to designate critical erosion areas in the state’s coastal erosion response plan.  The bill authorizes the commissioner, in order to determine which areas should be designated as critical coastal erosion areas and guide the allocation of resources, to conduct a coast-wide analysis of the costs and benefits of coastal erosion avoidance, remediation, and planning. The bill authorizes the analysis to consider the historical erosion rates in an area, the elevation of an area adjacent to the shoreline, the presence of critical infrastructure in an area adjacent to the shoreline, the population density of an area adjacent to the shoreline, the presence of economic activity conducted in an area adjacent to the shoreline, the presence of critical natural resources in an area adjacent to the shoreline, anthropogenic contributions to erosion, and any other factor identified as relevant by the commissioner. The bill makes conforming changes to the Natural Resources Code.

 

EFFECTIVE DATE

 

September 1, 2009.