Sacramento, California - Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella) chair of the Select Committee on Renewable Energy Development and Restoration of the Salton Sea will be convening a hearing at the state Capitol on the Salton Sea.

Wednesday, August 10, 2016 at 3:00 pm in the California State Capitol in Room 127

In the past year, there has been significant momentum behind the Sea. The State Water Resources Control Board has held a series of workshops regarding restoration efforts, and the Little Hoover Commission has also held meetings to discuss mitigation efforts for the Salton Sea. Wednesday’s hearing will be an opportunity to receive an update from the state and local stakeholders on the status of current mitigation efforts in meeting the short-, mid- and long-term goals and the allocation of $80 million in this year’s state budget for the sea, as well as to discuss next steps.

“The Salton Sea is one of California’s largest environmental and public health issues,” said Assemblymember Garcia. “We have an obligation to our constituents and the fragile environment at the Sea to work together with our state and local officials and stakeholders, to move forward and help protect the public’s health and the species which depend on California’s largest inland body of water.”

Last year, Assemblymember Garcia authored AB 1095 which directed the Natural Resources Agency to promulgate a list of shovel-ready projects for the Sea – meaning projects that are in the final engineering and design phase.   A report on the projects was released this year by the agency.  The Governor also created a task force comprised of various state agencies to develop a management plan for the Sea.  The upcoming hearing will take a closer look at the ongoing efforts to implement the AB 1095 projects, the allocation of the $80 million, and discuss the overall Salton Sea Management program to ensure progress continues at the sea.