Coastal resources: coastal development permits: blue carbon demonstration projects.

Assembly Member Boerner's coastal resources legislation establishes a framework for blue carbon demonstration projects, authorizing the California Coastal Commission to leverage coastal wetlands and marine ecosystems for carbon sequestration research. The measure defines these projects as restoration efforts in historically degraded coastal areas using native species to rebuild natural habitats and evaluate their carbon storage potential.

Under the proposed policy, the Commission may require developers of nonresidential projects that impact coastal ecosystems to either construct or contribute to blue carbon demonstration projects. These initiatives must include comprehensive monitoring and data collection to measure carbon uptake and storage permanence, with findings presented at public Commission hearings. The program's development requires consultation with state entities including the Air Resources Board and Department of Fish and Wildlife, as well as federal agencies such as NOAA and the Army Corps of Engineers.

The legislation aligns with California's existing carbon reduction targets and Executive Order N-82-20's directive to conserve 30% of state coastal waters by 2030. While coastal wetlands can sequester carbon at rates exceeding tropical forests according to the bill's findings, blue carbon is not currently included in the state's natural lands inventory due to limited data. These demonstration projects aim to fill this knowledge gap by generating quantifiable evidence of coastal ecosystems' carbon sequestration capabilities to inform state climate strategy.