Successor Bill to California's Landmark Climate Change Legislation Introduced

Senate Bill 1125 "is an effort by senators Fran Pavley and Ricardo Lara to get the legislature's blessing for an extension of the state's pioneering climate change efforts beyond the end of the decade," writes Rory Carroll. But unlike AB 32, also co-written by (then Assemblywoman) Fran Pavley and Assemblyman Fabian Nuñez, "it would leave details of how to achieve the state's goals to the California Air Resources Board, which is already working on a post-2020 climate change plan."

The bill directs state air regulators to recommend a timetable of post-2020 pollution reductions before January 1, 2016. That timetable is expected to include a 2030 emissions reduction target.

According to Sen. Pavley's press release, "In addition to greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, the bill applies to short-lived climate pollutants such as black carbon and methane, which not only impact global warming but have also put the San Joaquin Valley, Los Angeles, San Diego and Sacramento out of compliance with the Clean Air Act."

Carroll writes that SB 1125 "reflects Lara's long running concern for residents in the state's most disadvantaged communities, where air quality tends to be worse."  To that end, both senators have also introduced SB 1204 to focus on transportation emissions from two critical sources.

According to Lara's press release, the legislation "calls for the creation of a California Clean Truck and Bus Program to encourage zero- and near-zero emissions for buses and trucks handling goods movement...to clean up polluted transportation corridors throughout our state.” The program would be funded from cap and trade funds.

Finally, Carroll notes that AB 32 appears to be successful as shown by the state being "on track to meet its goal of cutting emissions back to 1990 levels by 2020, state officials said recently."