Thanks to everyone who wrote, called, tweeted, and generally bugged your legislators over the past few crazy days. We REALLY made a difference in pushing some really tough climate bills over the top, even those adamantly opposed by oil and gas, and their allies!
One more thing we can all do right now is thank our Senators and Assembly members for their AYE votes on the bills described below. These were not easy votes for many lawmakers, as the pressure from oil and gas has been intense. Click here to find your reps’ phone numbers and contact info and do call or drop a note of thanks!
The Governor still has to sign these bills, and we shouldn’t take his support for granted. At the end of this message I’m adding instructions for writing to Governor Newsom, asking him to sign your favorite among the many bills that passed.
Bill numbers and a description of each bill you could use in writing the Governor are below.
Send a letter TODAY!
We strongly encourage everyone to write to the Governor, urging him to sign bills! Letters need to be in within three days of passage…so by Saturday night this coming weekend. PLEASE PICK AT LEAST ONE BILL TO URGE THE GOVERNOR TO SIGN. Here are the official guidelines: One letter – one bill!
Write on personal or organizational letterhead
Address to:
Governor Gavin Newsom 1303 10th Street, Suite 1173 Sacramento, CA 95814
Make a brief statement about why this bill matters to you.
Include in the letter, a subject line that includes the bill number and title, i.e., Request to sign SB 1137 Oil and gas: operations: location restrictions: notice of intention: health protection zone: sensitive receptors
Email a pdf of the letter to [email protected]
Your email subject line should be something like:Request to sign SB XXXX
Here, some quick summaries, with links, of climate game-changing measures. Nearly all of these got through on Wednesday, the very last day of the 2-year session. References to the Governor’s “pillars” are to his mid-August memo to the Legislature and executive agencies, which undoubtedly made it easier to pass these bills.
Our highest priority game changers passed!
SB 1137 (Senators Gonzalez and Limón), Oil and gas: operations: location restrictions: notice of intention: health protection zone: sensitive receptors. The 3200-ft “setbacks bill” we’ve been working for, for years. Establishes a 3200-ft radius “health protection zone” around homes, schools, medical facilities, etc. Within that zone, new oil/gas wells or operations are not allowed, and existing ones must be proven to be secure when they are modified or maintained. See the fact sheet here.The bill implements the Governor’s fourth pillar, but it’s a stunning victory!
SB 1314 (Limón), Oil and gas: Class II injection wells: enhanced oil recovery. No use of captured carbon for” enhanced oil recovery” (EOR), the practice of injecting CO2 into depleted wells to squeeze out more oil. (Opposed by the West Coast Petroleum Association, Chamber of Commerce, Business Roundtable, building trades unions, etc.) Answers the Governor’s fifth pillar, calling for a regulatory framework for carbon capture.
AB 1279 (Muratsuchi and C. Garcia), The California Climate Crisis Act. Codifies the state’s carbon neutrality goal for 2045, requiring at least 85% direct GHG reductions, i.e., no more than 15% of it can be achieved through carbon removals. Requires CARB to re-work its proposed 2045 strategy in the scoping plan to identify 35-40 million MORE tons of emissions reductions, rather than assuming roughly a quarter of GHGs will be “canceled out” by carbon removals. Joined to, and contingent on passage of SB 905 (Caballero and Skinner), Carbon sequestration: Carbon Capture, Removal, Utilization, and Storage Program. which prohibits use of captured carbon for EOR. Answers the Governor’s accelerated emissions reduction targets, in his first pillar.
California’s clean energy future
SB 1020 (Laird), Clean Energy, Jobs, and Affordability Act of 2022. Amended to incorporate the Governor’s accelerated clean energy targets, in his third pillar. Moves the Public Utilities Commission toward distributed energy resources (DER) and resilience. Supports environmental justice.
SB 887 (Becker and Stern), Electricity: Transmission facility planning.Requires planning for electrical transmission into underserved or hard to reach areas, focusing on renewable energy sources. An environmental justice bill.
SB 1203 (Becker), Net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases: state agency operations. State operations must be “net zero” by 2035 (and a plan is due by 2025).
SB 379 (Wiener), Residential Solar Energy Systems; permitting.Requires simplified, expedited local permitting for rooftop solar.
SB 1158 (Becker), Retail electricity suppliers; emissions of greenhouse gases. Requires the CPUC to calculate and publish annual data on utilities’ percentage of resource adequacy requirements met with renewable energy, stored power, etc.
Protecting our state’s natural lands, and the climate
AB 1757 (C. Garcia and R. Rivas), California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006: climate goal: natural and working lands. Sets ambitious targets for “natural” sequestration of carbon in natural and working lands. Requires CARB to track emissions reductions and other benefits. Covers the Governor’s carbon sequestration pillar no. 5, which also stipulates banning use of captured carbon for “enhanced oil recovery” (EOR) from depleted wells.
AB 30 (Kalra), Equitable Outdoor Access Act. Equitable access to nature for all Californians. An environmental justice bill that also supports natural carbon sequestration.
Electrifying transportation
AB 1738 (Boerner Horvath), Building standards: installation of electric vehicle charging stations: existing buildings. Requires agencies to develop building standards for installation of EV chargers in existing multi-family and non-residential construction, when permits are issued.
SB 1482 (Allen), Building standards; electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Requires inclusion of EV charger requirements in building standards for multi-family residential buildings.
AB 2700 (McCarty, Berman, and Medina), Transportation electrification; electrical distribution grid upgrades. Requires CEC, CARB, CPUC etc. to gather annual data on on- and off-road medium- and heavy-duty vehicle fleets, and share with utilities to inform planning for EV charging.
Cleaning up oil/gas/air quality messes
SB 1295 (Limón), Oil and gas: hazardous or deserted wells and facilities: labor standards: expenditure limits: reports. Increases available funding for remediation of hazardous and deserted wells; land sets labor standards. An important environmental justice measure.
AB 1857 (C. Garcia), Solid waste. Removes trash incineration from the definition of waste diversion, which is required by law for all municipalities. Institutes a grant program to support communities transitioning to zero waste. Trash incineration is extremely carbon-intensive, and this is an environmental justice bill.
SB 1206 (Skinner), Hydrofluorocarbon gases: sale or distribution. Begins to ratchet down the allowable global warming potential (GWP) of refrigerants (HFCs) sold in bulk, beginning in 2025. Requires CARB to initiate a rulemaking requiring low or ultra-low GWP alternatives to HFCs. Refrigerants are short-lived climate pollutants, which are many times more potent contributors to global heating than CO2.
AB 2550 (Arambula), State Air Resources Board: San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District: nonattainment. Requires CARB to develop a regulatory program to improve air quality in the Central Valley.
And some real disappointments
SB 260 (Wiener + Stern), Climate Corporate Accountability Act.Requires emissions reporting (Scopes 1, 2, and 3) by companies with revenues of $1 billion or more. Opposed by WSPA, Chambers of Commerce, industry groups). Passed the Senate, failed by four votes in the Assembly.
AB 2133 (Quirk), California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006: emissions limit. Would have raised the 2030 target for greenhouse gas emissions reductions from 40 percent to 55 percent, per the Governor’s second pillar. Passed the Senate, failed by four votes in the Assembly.
SB 1391 (Kamlager), Greenhouse gases: market-based compliance mechanism. Would have required review every three years of Cap and Trade, including evaluating and addressing concerns of allowance overallocation and offset credits eligibility. Passed the Senate; failed by seven votes in the Assembly.
Thank you! And congratulations to all of us!
Janet Cox for 350 Silicon Valley Legislative/Policy Team, soon to be Climate Action California
Will Brieger for 350 Sacramento
Daniel Chandler for 350 Humboldt
Todd Weber for Elders Climate Action NorCal Chapter
Richard Burke for Elders Climate Action SoCal Chapter
Antonina Markoff and James Fischer for Climate Reality Project (CRP) California Coalition
Andy Hattala for CRP Los Angeles Chapter
Harriet Harvey-Horn and Bonnie Hamilton for CRP San Francisco Bay Area Chapter
Cherry Robinson for CRP San Diego Chapter
Karen Nelson for CRP Silicon Valley Chapter
Kari Bauer and Margaret Loehr for CRP Sacramento Chapter
Diana Weynand, Kathy Schaeffer, and Sherrell Cuneo for CRP San Fernando Valley Chapter
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