There is in this state the California Environmental Protection Program, which shall be concerned with the preservation and protection of California’s environment. In this connection, the Legislature hereby finds and declares that, since the inception of the program pursuant to the Marks-Badham Environmental Protection and Research Act, the Department of Motor Vehicles has, in the course of issuing environmental license plates, consistently informed potential purchasers of those plates, by means of a detailed brochure, of the manner in which the program functions, the particular purposes for which revenues from the issuance of those plates can lawfully be expended, and examples of particular projects and programs that have been financed by those revenues. Therefore, because of this representation by the Department of Motor Vehicles, purchasers expect and rely that the moneys paid by them will be expended only for those particular purposes, which results in an obligation on the part of the state to expend the revenues only for those particular purposes.
Accordingly, all funds expended pursuant to this division shall be used only to support identifiable projects and programs of state agencies, cities, cities and counties, counties, districts, the University of California, private nonprofit environmental and land acquisition organizations, and private research organizations that have a clearly defined benefit to the people of the State of California and that have one or more of the following purposes:
(a) The control and abatement of air pollution, including all phases of research into the sources, dynamics, and effects of environmental pollutants.
(b) The acquisition, preservation, restoration, or any combination thereof, of natural areas or ecological reserves.
(c) Environmental education, including formal school programs and informal public education programs. The State Department of Education may administer moneys appropriated for these programs, but shall distribute not less than 90 percent of moneys appropriated for the purposes of this subdivision to fund environmental education programs of school districts, other local schools, state agencies other than the State Department of Education, and community organizations. Not more than 10 percent of the moneys appropriated for environmental education may be used for State Department of Education programs or defraying administrative costs.
(d) Protection of nongame species and threatened and endangered plants and animals.
(e) Protection, enhancement, and restoration of fish and wildlife habitat and related water quality, including review of the potential impact of development activities and land use changes on that habitat.
(f) The purchase, on an opportunity basis, of real property consisting of sensitive natural areas for the state park system and for local and regional parks, and deferred maintenance projects at state parks.
(g) Reduction or minimization of the effects of soil erosion and the discharge of sediment into the waters of the Lake Tahoe region, including the restoration of disturbed wetlands and stream environment zones, through projects by the California Tahoe Conservancy and grants to local public agencies, state agencies, federal agencies, and nonprofit organizations.
(h) Scientific research on the risks to California’s natural resources and communities caused by the impacts of climate change.
(Amended by Stats. 2015, Ch. 24, Sec. 33. (SB 83) Effective June 24, 2015.)