Salton Sea to get $5 million in fresh funding

Assemblyman V. Manuel Perez, D-Coachella, announcedThursday that an Assembly subcommittee has supported his request for two budgetitems to back Salton Sea restoration efforts.

The Assembly Budget Sub-Committee 3 on Resources and Transportationsupports approved $2 million for the Salton Sea Funding Feasibility Study and$3 million for the Salton Sea Financial Assistance Program, according toPerez’s office.

Perez said the funding study “will provide a critical and missing pieceto the sea’s restoration plan, and it complements the work I’m doing with AB71 to ensure a viable restoration governance model.”

“At the same time, funding a second round of the FAP enables sensiblerestoration projects to move forward, building habitat and controlling dustemissions in the process,” Perez said.

The $2 million, which is from non-General Fund bond funds, will gotoward a study to analyze state, local and federal funding that can supportrestoration of the sea, including money from developing local energy resources,according to Perez’s office.

The $3 million will fund a second year of the assistance programadministered by the Department of Water Resources and Department of Fish andGame. The program’s grants support projects that “improve habitat for fish andwildlife at the Salton Sea, while also benefiting air quality by coveringexposed lakebed with habitat,” according to Perez’s office. Last month, $3million in grants were given to three projects by the Imperial IrrigationDistrict, the Salton Sea Authority/Torres Martinez Tribe and the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service.

AB 17, which also supports restoration of the Salton Sea, was passed bythe Assembly last month and sent to the state Senate.