(a) All moneys deposited in the Harbors and Watercraft Revolving Fund pursuant to Section 675 shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for the following purposes:
(1) For reasonable costs incurred by the department associated with determining the prevention fee and adoption of regulations pursuant to Section 675, and with administering the grants pursuant to subdivision (b).
(2) (A) For reasonable costs, not to exceed 15 percent of the remaining revenues deposited into the fund, of the Department of Fish and Game for implementation of subparagraph (A) or (C) of paragraph (2) of, or paragraph (1) of, subdivision (a) of Section 2301 or Section 2302 of the Fish and Game Code in those areas of the state where a dreissenid mussel infestation prevention plan has not been implemented.
(B) The amount specified in subparagraph (A) is in addition to moneys available pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 85.2.
(3) An amount not less than 85 percent of the remaining revenues deposited into the fund shall be made available for grants to entities subject to subdivision (a) of Section 2302 of the Fish and Game Code for the reasonable regulatory costs incident to the implementation of a dreissenid mussel infestation prevention plan implemented either before or after January 1, 2013, that is consistent with the requirements of Section 2302 of the Fish and Game Code.
(b) For the purposes of awarding grants pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (a), the department shall do all of the following:
(1) Give priority to dreissenid mussel infestation prevention plans that are consistent with Section 2302 of the Fish and Game Code and that also include visual and manual inspection standards and other infestation prevention procedures consistent with either the Department of Fish and Game’s Invasive Mussel Guidebook for Recreational Water Managers and Users, dated September 2010, or the Natural Resource Agency’s Aquatic Invasive Species Management Plan, dated January 2008, or subsequently adopted guidebooks and management plans.
(2) Take into consideration the benefits of regional-scale dreissenid mussel infestation prevention plans.
(3) Take into consideration the unique economic, ecological, and recreational impacts to rural and urban reservoirs from dreissenid mussel infestation.
(c) For purposes of this article, reasonable regulatory costs include costs associated with the investigation and inspection of a conveyance for the presence of dreissenid mussels prior to contact with a reservoir, as defined in Section 6004.5 of the Water Code. None of the revenues collected pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 675 shall be used for any purpose other than those explicitly authorized by this section.
(d) For the purposes of this section, conveyances include boats and other watercraft, and associated vehicles, containers, and trailers that may carry or contain adult or larval dreissenid mussels.
(e) As a condition of receiving grant funding pursuant to this section, an entity shall report to the department data, as deemed appropriate by the department, regarding dreissenid mussel prevention and inspection programs implemented with the funding.
(Added by Stats. 2012, Ch. 485, Sec. 2. (AB 2443) Effective January 1, 2013.)