Beginning with her work on the Santa Rosa Planning Commission and City Council to adopt one of the state’s first voter-approved urban growth boundaries, Senator Noreen Evans has been a leader on environmental protection, preservation and restoration. She believes in encouraging commercial and residential development in cities while safeguarding agricultural lands and open space, and in restoring degraded waterways and wildlife habitats. She also believes that sound environmental stewardship improves the quality of life for all residents, from North San Francisco Bay through California’s North Coast.

As chairwoman of the Assembly Budget Committee from 2008 to 2010, Evans stood up against short-term fiscal measures that sought to take advantage of an economic crisis to betray bedrock California environmental principles:

• Offshore Drilling Ban -- Opposed efforts to raise new revenue by opening up protected coastline for energy exploration and drilling.
• State Parks and Recreation Areas -- Fought efforts to close California’s most beloved public open spaces.
• Williamson Act Funding -- Resisted efforts to gut funding needed to keep alive the California Land Conservation Act of 1965, which enables local governments to partner with property owners to preserve agricultural land and open space.

Among Senator Evans’ other environmental legislative accomplishments, she authored or supported the following bills:

AB 94 (Natural Heritage Preservation Tax Credit) – Reinstates and enhances the voluntary Natural Heritage Preservation Tax Credit, thereby allowing the state, a local government or qualified nonprofit group to save 45 percent when acquiring park and habitat lands by structuring the acquisition so that the landowner can receive a state tax credit and use federal tax deductions. From 2001 to 2008, the Tax Credit provided a voluntary alternative that saved California approximately $40 million in the acquisition of more than 8,000 acres of land. Introduced by Evans. 2009. Bill signed.

AB 729 (Transit Design-Build) – Extends the existing statutory authorization for public transit agencies to enter into design-build contracts for transit capital improvement projects until January 1, 2015. The extension of design build provides local transit agencies with explicit authorization to use this contracting tool when spending Proposition 1B funding in the coming years. Introduced by Evans.  2009. Bill signed.

AB 1513 (Wilderness) – Directs the Resources Agency and the State Lands Commission to report to the Legislature whether specific state lands in Lake, Napa, Sonoma and Santa Clara counties merit designation and protection as state wilderness. Introduced by Evans.  2009. Held in committee.

AB 1520 (Watersheds) – Establishes the Statewide Watershed Program, which will provide assistance and funds to local, community-based efforts to conserve, protect and restore watersheds, and promote coordinated management of watersheds. The legislation encourages land and water management practices that recognize and make use of the link between related ecosystems. Introduced by Evans.  2009. Held in committee.

AB 1063 (Sonoma County Open Space) – Enables the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors to issue bonds to protect agricultural land and open space. Introduced by Evans.  2007. Bill signed.

AB 82 (Napa Housing) – To preserve valuable agricultural lands in Napa County, the bill would (1) limit the allocation of housing under the Regional Housing Needs Allocation for Napa County to one unit for unincorporated areas for every nine allocated within cities and (2) allow the county to transfer all or part of its housing assignment to a city within the county that was willing to accept it. Introduced by Evans.  2007. Held in committee.

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