2012 Work Program
Click to download a pdf of the 2012 Work Program.
The 2012 Work Plan addresses four critical areas that reflect the goals and objectives of the Bay Planning Coalition. Many of these goals and objectives were developed at the Strategic Planning Retreat in September 2011. The Plan also reflects the changing economic, environmental, political and regulatory circumstances that currently exist. These critical areas fall into four categories:
1. Federal Government
2. State, Regional and Local Government
3. Educating the Public of the Importance of Infrastructure Planning
4. Internal Operations and External Relations
The Work Program is a living document that should be routinely updated to reflect changes around legislation, regulation, rulemaking, court decisions, economic trends and public relations. It should be anticipated that the 2012 Work Plan will change to meet the demands and needs of our membership.
Included in the Work Plan are issues and activities of primary focus. It is expected that many more items will be studied and advanced throughout the year; included here are areas of greatest impact and emphasis..
1. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
A. Federal Energy & Water Appropriations/Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund
Congress is entering its second year of the One Hundred Twenty-Second Congress. The Harbor Maintenance Fund Bill H.R. 104 and its companion bill in the Senate, S. 412, remain caught in jeopardy due to politics related to any appropriation legislation. Congress has yet to reverse its position of ‘No Earmarks’.
As a result, advancement of H.R. 104 and S. 412 remains the most logical avenue to advance this critical funding mechanism to provide the needed funding for dredging and maintenance of our channels, harbors and ports to the project depth to support economic growth and vitality. Bay Planning Coalition will work with California Marine Affairs and Navigation, the National Waterways coalition, the California Farm Bureau, and other agricultural and manufacturing associations to increase advocacy and education to promote H.R. 104 and S. 412.
H.R. 104 and S. 412 would increase funding for navigation channel dredging from the already collected Harbor Maintenance Tax. Included in H.R. 104 and S. 412:
- Funding for federal energy and water programs of the U.S. Army Corps’ Operation and Maintenance (O & M)
- Long-Term Management Strategy (LTMS)
- Creation (continuing / new) of wetland restoration project
- Navigation channel dredging
Proposed Action: Actively educate Members of Congress about the economic merits of H.R. 104 and S. 412, and seek additional sponsors. In order to build political support in Congress, this will require educating local government officials, media and the general public about the economic benefits and necessity of maintaining navigation channels at project depths.
2. STATE, REGIONAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
A. Bay Area Business Coalition
In 2011 Bay Planning Coalition was one of several non-profit advocacy organizations that joined ranks to form the ‘Bay Area Business Coalition.’ Working together, this coalition– including organized labor and local government– helped change the proposed language of San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission’s Bay Plan Amendment. The change protects the economic interests of the San Francisco Bay property owners.
The goal of the Bay Area Business Coalition is to work together to protect the interests of all businesses facing external pressure from overzealous government entities.
Proposed Action: The Bay Planning Coalition will maintain active involvement with the Bay Area Business Coalition, especially with issues that have the greatest impact to members of the Bay Planning Coalition.
B. San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC)
A Bay Plan Amendment dealing with potential impacts of Climate Change passed unanimously with the support of Bay Planning Coalition on October 6, 2011. The amendment did not change the limits of BCDC, which will continue to exert jurisdiction over land within the first 100 feet from the shoreline around the San Francisco Bay.
Proposed Action: The Bay Planning Coalition will continue to attend meetings, educate, monitor and advocate for an appropriate balance between economic and environmental interests. The goal is to enhance the quality of life for all who visit or live in the San Francisco Bay Region.
C. Joint Policy Committee and Climate Change
Several years ago, the California legislature adopted a statewide mandate to reduce CO2 greenhouse gases (SB375) and also adopted AB 32. A consequence of this legislation was the passage of Bay Plan Amendment dealing with Climate Change by BCDC in 2011. A Bay Area Joint Policy Committee (JPC) was formed representing Association of Bay Area Governments, Bay Area Air Quality Management District, Metropolitan Transportation Commission and BCDC.
Proposed Action: The Bay Planning Coalition– working with the Bay Area Business Coalition– is going to actively monitor all actions of the JPC. The JPC will be taking a more active role regarding sea level rise and development. The business community, organized labor and local government have worked together to modify the Bay Plan Amendment language. As a next step, it is important that the business community take the lead on protecting the economic interests surrounding the shoreline of the San Francisco Bay Region. The activities of Bay Planning Coalition working with the Bay Area Business Coalition will be essential in monitoring the activities of the JPC; we will also need to educate elected officials and the public about the economic need of the region to ‘harden’ and protect the shoreline. This is going to require a sustained effort to eventually move towards placing a regional bond on the ballot to raise the necessary capital to build levees, seawalls and wetlands to protect the economic interests along the shoreline.
D. Advocacy for Political Appointments
During Governor Brown’s first year in office, the Governor has been consumed with dealing with the budget crisis. As a result, many political appointments to regional agencies have not been filled. Many of these agencies have oversight over areas of interest to Bay Planning Coalition members. The selection of political appointments to such agencies can have long-term negative consequences potentially with increased legal and regulatory fees, unnecessary and burdensome regulations, and the ability to protect and create new jobs.
The Bay Planning Coalition has sent letters to Governor Brown in support of potential candidates to BCDC, San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board and the State Water Resources Control Board. Thus far, no action has been taken by the Governor. The Bay Planning Coalition will continue to support viable candidates who will listen to and represent the views of our members to the following agencies:
- Association of Bay Area Governments
- Bay Area Air Quality Management District
- California Air Resources Board
- California Energy Commission
- Metropolitan Transportation Commission
- San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission
- San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board
- State Water Resources Control Board
- Water Emergency Transportation Authority
Currently Bay Planning Coalition is working to identify a slate of five candidates for BCDC to recommend to the Governor. Once the slate is identified, Bay Planning Coalition will be seeking support from member associations within the Bay Area Business Coalition, California State Chamber of Commerce and Western States Petroleum Association to also send letters of support.
Proposed Action: Continue to proactively work with like-minded associations such as the Bay Area Business Coalition, organized labor and local government while advocating, educating, monitoring state and local agencies about the issues of importance to Bay Planning Coalition members. Generate letters of support of political appointments and continue to facilitate meetings with persons of political influence to help move the political appointment process in favor of our candidates.
3. EDUCATING THE PUBLIC OF THE IMPORTANCE OF MARITIME INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING
A. Long-Term Management Strategy (LTMS) for Dredged Material Disposal
Due to naturally shallow water depths, dredging and disposal of dredged materials are essential to maintaining port activities such as maritime trade, recreational boating and other public trust uses. While most agree that dredging should be accomplished within environmental and economic constraints, a myriad of environmental, funding, contracting, regulatory and physical challenges make this a difficult task.
The dredging community in San Francisco Bay faces continued challenges. Constrained by narrow environmental “work windows”, difficult economic times for project owners and dredgers, and the continued implementation of the LTMS “step-down” periods, dredging project sponsors must navigate a difficult path to maintain shipping channels, harbors and marinas within project scheduling and budgetary constraints. Upland beneficial reuse, the linchpin for the LTMS beneficial reuse strategy, demonstrates some of these challenges. Operations at the Hamilton Wetland Restoration Project and Montezuma Wetlands Project have been successfully utilized, however, with Hamilton now full and no longer able to accept material, dredging projects must work with a more limited array of options including limited in-Bay disposal, the San Francisco Deep Ocean Disposal Site (SFDODS), and remaining beneficial reuse sites (Montezuma Wetlands, Carneros Ranch, etc).
Even with the collaborative work of agency partnerships like the Dredged Material Management Office (DMMO), the overall state of the economy, current contracting processes, and the resultant reduction in available federal and state funding levels, present challenges to a system that was already stressed. The disparity between increased dredging costs and flat funding created a need to find solutions to dredge more efficiently and cost-effectively. Earlier this year, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers presented a value engineering study (VE Study) identifying more cost-effective tools and solutions to continue to meet the LTMS goals. Project sponsors are anxiously awaiting the implementation of these more efficient and cost-effective solutions. Meanwhile, project sponsors continue to face an uphill battle in sustaining dredging operations. As we stand on the eve of the 2012 dredging season, we need to further the dialogue on how best to meet LTMS, environmental and economic growth goals given current funding constraints.
Proposed Action: The Bay Planning Coalition has been at the center of the issue for many years, helping to create the current set of both physical and regulatory solutions in place today. The Bay Planning Coalition will continue to help shape the dialogue and outcome with the issues related to costs, disposal and reuse options. This will also include further dialogue from the dredging and regulatory communities to identify the needed changes in dredging, regulatory, contracting and disposal practices to simultaneously promote the viability of the local Bay and shoreline habitats and restore local, state and national economic growth for generations to come. The Bay Planning Coalition will strive to create a sense of urgency on regulatory issues, making the connection between timeliness and having a balanced regulatory process. This process will include developing a culture of “yes” and help shift the regulatory attitude of “precautionary principle” to pragmatic responsiveness. The Bay Planning Coalition has already and will continue to raise the issue related to the decreasing nutrient loading of the San Francisco Bay and exploring the option of new in-bay disposal sites.
4. INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL OPERATIONS
A. Financial Accountability
Proposed Action: Once the books are closed at the end of each month, the Bay Planning Coalition staff will provide an economic statement to the Executive Committee.
B. Decisionmakers Conference (DMC) and BPC Workshop Series
A successful DMC is critical to the economic stability of the Bay Planning Coalition, and the three Workshops in 2011 have also proven to bring in substantial revenue.
Proposed Action: Continue to hold the DMC and schedule three BPC sponsored Workshops. For a successful DMC and Workshop Series, secure sponsors, media outreach, regulators and elected officials to help educate about important issues to Bay Planning Coalition members.
C. Co-Sponsoring Workshops of Regional Importance
Proposed Action: In addition to the Bay Planning Coalition Workshop Series, the Bay Planning Coalition should work closely with other organizations such as the Bay Area Council, BIA Bay Area, Contra Costa Council, East Bay EDA, Jobs and Housing Coalition, North Bay Leadership Council, Silicon Valley Leadership Group, SAMCEDA and Solano EDC to co-sponsor workshop(s) of regional importance. The workshop(s) would serve as an additional forum for conversation and dialogue to support Bay Planning Coalition’s efforts to promote economic growth and vitality in the Bay while also raising additional revenue for the organization.
