(a)The Legislature hereby declares all of the following:
(1)Resource conservation, enhancement, restoration, adaptation, and resilience are of fundamental importance to the prosperity and welfare of the people of this state. The Legislature believes that the state must assume leadership in formulating and putting into effect a statewide program of soil, water, and biodiversity conservation, enhancement, restoration, adaptation, and resilience and related natural resource conservation.
(2)The climate crisis is happening now, impacting California in unprecedented ways, including intensifying wildfires, mudslides, floods, and drought, sea level rise, and extreme
heat, that threaten our economy, communities, public safety, and cultural and natural resources.
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(a)
The Legislature hereby declares all of the following:
(1)
Resource conservation, enhancement, restoration, adaptation, and resilience are of fundamental importance to the prosperity and welfare of the people of this state. The Legislature believes that the state must assume leadership in formulating and putting into effect a statewide program of soil, water, and biodiversity conservation, enhancement, restoration, adaptation, and resilience and related natural resource conservation.
(2)
The climate crisis is happening now, impacting California in unprecedented ways, including intensifying wildfires, mudslides, floods, and drought, sea level rise, and extreme
heat, that threaten our economy, communities, public safety, and cultural and natural resources.
(3)
Resource conservation districts are important partners to the state in achieving the state’s ever-evolving goals to protect, conserve, restore, and enhance natural resources and to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change.
(4)
This division is enacted to accomplish the following purposes:
(A)
To provide the means by which the state may cooperate with the United States and with resource conservation districts organized pursuant to this division in securing the adoption in this state of conservation, enhancement, restoration, adaptation, and resilience practices, including, but not limited to, farm, range, open space, urban development, wildlife, recreation, watershed, water quality, and woodland, best
adapted to save the basic resources, soil, water, and air of the state from unreasonable and economically preventable waste and destruction.
(B)
To provide for the organization and operation of resource conservation districts for the purposes of the protection, conservation, restoration, or enhancement of natural resources, the improvement or enhancement of adaptation or resilience to climate change, the mitigation or sequestration of carbon emissions on natural lands and working lands, soil and water conservation, the control of runoff, the prevention and control of soil erosion, and erosion stabilization, including, but not limited to, these purposes in open areas, agricultural areas, urban development, wildlife areas, recreational developments, watershed management, the protection of water quality and water reclamation, the development of storage and distribution of water, and the treatment of each acre of land according to its needs.
(b)
The districts, in addition to any other authority provided by law, may do all of the following:
(1)
Ensure consistency with the authorities and policies of the United States, this state, counties, cities, public districts, other resource conservation districts, persons, associations, and corporations.
(2)
With the consent of the owner, construct on privately or publicly owned lands any necessary works for the protection, conservation, restoration, or enhancement of natural resources, the improvement or enhancement of adaptation or resilience to climate change, the mitigation or sequestration of carbon emissions, or the prevention and control of soil erosion and erosion stabilization.
(3)
Facilitate coordinated resource management efforts for watershed
restoration and enhancement.
(4)
Develop and implement projects and programs for the conservation, enhancement, restoration, adaptation, and resilience of soil, water, and biodiversity and related natural resource conservation.
(c)
The districts shall not conserve water for power purposes or produce or distribute power for their own use or for the use of others.