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Updated May 19, 2022
Below are the bills of interest in the climate, energy, transportation, and environmental justice arenas.
Selected bills are listed in several categories, numerically in each category. For details on any bill listed below, click on the hyperlinked bill number and that will bring you to the State’s official legislative info page for that bill. About 4000 bills have been introduced in this session. For a complete list of the 98 bills we are tracking, click HERE. About 70 are listed below.
Calendar Note: Appropriations and budget committee hearings are underway. The last day for each house to pass bills introduced in their house of origin is May 27.
Some handy resources:
Glossary of Legislative Terms
Find your California Representative
Complete Assembly 2022 legislative calendar
Complete Senate 2022 legislative calendar
Please let us know about any climate, energy, transportation, or environmental justice bills that you are tracking that are not on this list, and send any corrections or suggestions to woody@theclimatecenter.org
Bills that The Climate Center is sponsoring
AB 2649 (C. Garcia) The Natural Carbon Sequestration and Resilience Act of 2022 calls for technical assistance and additional forms of support to farmers, ranchers, and other land managers, and allocates 50 percent of any state expenditures to support natural carbon sequestration (NCS) in low-income and disadvantaged communities including historically underserved farmers. The bill calls for implementing NCS programs in ways that build climate resilience to increasing extremes from heat and drought to wildfire and flooding in the state’s soils, forests, croplands, rangelands, wetlands, parklands, schoolyards, urban greenspaces and brownspaces, waterways, and nearshore habitats. Recent research has found that NCS on California’s working lands could absorb up to 103 million metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent per year by 2030. Including natural and urban lands and waters further increases what is possible annually with already proven, scalable, cost-effective, environmentally sound, and just practices, including practices informed by traditional ecological knowledge. By enacting this measure, California will scale up carbon dioxide removal that also improves water and food security, public health outcomes, environmental justice, climate resilience, and biodiversity while also providing a template that can be replicated across the nation and the world. Read The Climate Center News Release. Read the bill author’s FACTSHEET. Read the coalition Letter of Support. STATUS: APPROVED May 19 in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Next stop is a hearing on the Assembly Floor.
SB 833 (Dodd) — California communities, especially the most vulnerable and least able to cope, are struggling to withstand increasing planned and unplanned electric grid disruptions. Senate Bill 833, the Community Energy Resilience Act of 2022, calls for the creation of a technical assistance and grant program administered by the California Energy Commission (CEC) to help local governments develop clean energy resilience plans, leveraging the substantial related investments that have already been made by the CEC. SB 833 enables local governments to collaborate with utilities in planning community-scale energy infrastructure such as solar panels and battery storage so that communities are deciding what facilities remain energized during a crisis. The bill is aimed to help California reduce its reliance on carbon-emitting generators during disaster-driven power outages by empowering local governments to more strategically plan for the use of clean-emission, distributed energy resources, with a priority on lower income communities. Read The Climate Center’s NEWS RELEASE. Read the bill author’s FACTSHEET. Read the Coalition Sign-on Letter of Support. STATUS: APPROVED May 19 in the Senate Appropriations Committee. Next stop is a hearing on the Senate Floor.
Assembly Bills that The Climate Center Supports
AB 30 (Kalra) The State Urban Parks and Healthy Communities Act requires the Director of Parks and Recreation to develop a competitive grant program to assist state parks, specified state conservancies, urbanized and heavily urbanized local agencies, and community-based organizations within those jurisdictions to provide outdoor educational opportunities. This bill would improve access to nature for all people in the state and provide for recreational and educational opportunities, with a specific emphasis on increasing access for economically disadvantaged communities. STATUS: APPROVED in the Assembly. Set for a June 1 hearing in the Senate Natural Resources Committee.
AB 1001 (C. Garcia) This bill would require mitigation measures, identified in a CEQA environmental impact report or mitigated negative declaration to mitigate the adverse effects of a project on air or water quality of a disadvantaged community, to mitigate those effects directly in the affected disadvantaged community. The bill would require all public agencies, in implementing CEQA, to act consistently with the principles of environmental justice by ensuring the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of people of all races, cultures, incomes, and national origins. Read The Climate Center’s Letter of Support. STATUS: APPROVED in the Assembly on Feb. 1, ordered to the Senate. Committee assignment and hearing date pending.
AB 1814 (Grayson) This bill, sponsored by the California Community Choice Association, would authorize CCAs to file applications for programs and investments under the Charge Ahead California Initiative to accelerate widespread transportation electrification. STATUS: April 6 hearing in the Assembly Energy Committee canceled at the request of author.
AB 1857 (C. Garcia) Zero Waste Transition Act of 2022. This bill would end waste diversion credits that accrue to waste incinerators and require that cities prioritize recycling and composting before turning to incineration. News Release. Read the Author’s Factsheet. STATUS: Set for a May 19 hearing in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
AB 1939 (C. Garcia) This bill would require that science classes for grades 7-12 to include coursework on the causes and effects of climate change and methods to mitigate and adapt to climate change no later than the 2023–24 school year. Read author’s factsheet. Read The Climate Center’s Letter of Support. STATUS: Approved in the Assembly, on to the Senate.
AB 2061 (Ting) This bill would require that recipients of state funds for electric vehicle service equipment (EVSE, aka, EV charging stations) report to the state what their uptime is. This report would help quantify the availability, consistency, and reliability of charging infrastructure. Given that EVSE is basically competing against gas stations that have very reliable uptime in the minds of the public, it is important that EVSE also be reliable. STATUS: Set for a May 19 hearing in the Asm. Appropriations Committee.
AB 2076 (L. Rivas) Would establish the Extreme Heat and Community Resilience Program to be administered through the Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program (ICARP), for the purpose of coordinating state efforts and supporting local/regional efforts to prevent and mitigate the impacts of, and reduce the public health risks of, extreme heat. Would require the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research to appoint a Chief Heat Officer in the office to implement the program and establish the Interagency Heat Taskforce. Read the author’s factsheet. Read ANR Committee Analysis. Read The Climate Center’s Letter of Support. STATUS: Set for a May 19 hearing in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
AB 2238 (L. Rivas) This bill would create a statewide extreme heat episode ranking/naming system. STATUS: Set for a May 19 hearing in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
AB 2278 (Kalra) A 30 by 30 bill – Requires the Secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency to prepare and submit a report to the Legislature on the progress toward achieving the directives established by Executive Order No. N-82-20, relating to, among other things, biodiversity and conservation. STATUS: Set for a May 19 hearing in the Asm. Appropriations Committee.
AB 2419 (Bryan) AB 2419 would invest 40 percent of federal climate and infrastructure funding to low-income, Indigenous, and rural communities and communities of color. Read the news release and the author’s factsheet. STATUS: APPROVED May 19 in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Next stop is a hearing on the Assembly Floor.
AB 2414 (Kalra) Establishes the California Pocket Forest Initiative at the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. STATUS:
AB 2420 (Arambula) Requires the Department of Public Health to review literature on the adverse effects of extreme heat on perinatal health, and develop guidance and recommend best practices for safe conditions and health considerations for pregnant individuals and infants regarding extreme heat. STATUS: APPROVED May 19 in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. On to a hearing on the Assembly Floor.
AB 2438 (Friedman) Requires specified state transportation funding programs to align with state climate plans and goals and requires the California Transportation Plan (CTP) to be fiscally constrained. STATUS: APPROVED May 18 hearing in the Asm. Appropriations Committee. On to a hearing on the Assembly Floor.
AB 2446 (Holden) Requires the California Energy Commission to develop a framework for measuring and reducing the carbon intensity of the construction of new buildings by 80% by 2045. STATUS: APPROVED May 19 in the Assembly Appropriations Committee, on to the floor process.
AB 2550 (Arambula) Would require the Air Resources Board to provide technical support and guidance to any air pollution control district that has failed or is unable to achieve national or state ambient air quality standards to assist the district in achieving them. Read The Climate Center’s Letter of Support. Read the May 16 Coalition Letter of Support. STATUS: APPROVED May 19 in the Assembly Appropriations Committee, on to the floor process.
AB 2593 (Boerner Horvath) Requires the California Coastal Commission to require an applicant with a public project that impacts coastal wetland, intertidal, or marine habitats or ecosystems seeking a coastal development permit to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions by building or contributing to a blue carbon project, and requires new development to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. STATUS: Set for a June 1 hearing in the Senate Natural Resources Committee.
AB 2667 (Friedman) Would establish the Integrated Distributed Energy Resources Fund in the State Treasury in order to fund clean distributed energy resources. Read The Climate Center’s Letter of Support. STATUS: Approved in the policy committees, set for May 19 hearing in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
AB 2700 (McCarty) Requires IOUs to use all available data to project future electric vehicle (EV) charging requirements to ensure that their distribution systems are upgraded at the times and locations necessary to support the level of EV charging anticipated by various state goals, regulations, and regional plans. STATUS: APPROVED May 19 in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. On to the Assembly Floor.
AB 2816 (Ting) Focuses electric vehicle incentives on displacing gasoline; prioritizes transitioning lower income drivers using the most gasoline to EVs, and has the effect of reducing the total number of EVs required on the road to achieve a 50% reduction in California’s light duty vehicle emissions. Read the coalition Letter of Support. STATUS: Set for a May 19 hearing in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
ACR 109 (C. Garcia) This Assembly Concurrent Resolution (ACR) declares the Legislature’s recognition of the threat that extreme heat poses to communities and calls on the state’s agencies and departments to take immediate action to prepare and protect communities from its impacts. STATUS: APPROVED in the Assembly. Set for a June 1 hearing in the Senate Natural Resources Committee.
Senate Bills that The Climate Center Supports
SB 260 (Wiener, et al) This bill was amended on January 3 but the core policy remains. The bill would require the Air Resources Board (ARB) to develop regulations requiring publicly traded corporations (covered entities) with annual revenues in excess of $1 billion that do business in California to publicly disclose their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and to set science-based emissions reduction targets. Read the Coalition SIGN-ON LETTER that The Climate Center signed onto. STATUS: Cleared the Senate on January 26; double referred to the Assembly Natural Resources and Judiciary Committees.
SB 379 (Wiener) The Solar Access Act requires California cities to provide online, instant solar permitting to streamline remote approvals. Implements instant, online solar permitting in counties with over 150,000 residents. This legislation will greatly decrease approval times for residential solar and solar-plus-storage systems, cut permitting costs for local governments and homeowners, and help California meet its greenhouse gas emission reduction goals. SB 379 is sponsored by CALSSA and co-sponsored by SPUR and Environment California. Read The Climate Center SUPPORT LETTER. STATUS: APPROVED January 24 on the Senate Floor. On to the Assembly.
SB 852 (Dodd) This bill would authorize a city, county, city and county, special district, or a combination of any of those entities to form a climate resilience district for the purposes of raising and allocating funding for eligible projects and the operating expenses of eligible projects. It would define “eligible project” to mean projects that address sea level rise, extreme heat, extreme cold, the risk of wildfire, drought, and the risk of flooding. Read the Author’s FACTSHEET. Read The Climate Center’s Letter of Support. STATUS: Set for a May 18 hearing in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
SB 905 (Skinner) The Decarbonized Cement and Geologic Carbon Sequestration Demonstration Act. The bill would require the ARB to develop and administer the Geologic Carbon Sequestration Demonstration Initiative to evaluate and demonstrate the efficacy, safety, and viability of geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide not associated with enhanced oil recovery or fossil fuel production. Read The Climate Center’s Letter of Support. STATUS: Heard March 28 hearing in the Senate Environmental Quality Committee. Referred to Senate Education Committee. Hearing date TBA.
SB 917 (Becker) This bill, the Seamless Transit Transformation Act, would direct the Metropolitan Transportation Commission of the Bay Area to develop a program that would streamline service among the 26 transit agencies that serve the Bay Area. Read the author’s factsheet. STATUS: Set for a May 19 hearing in the Sen. Appropriations Committee.
SB 953 (Min) Would ban offshore oil drilling in non-federal waters off the coast of California, including oil production under current lease agreements. News Release. STATUS: Introduced February 9, 2022. Assigned to the Senate Natural Resources Committee.
SB 977 (Laird) This bill would establish the California Conservation Ranching Incentive Program under the Wildlife Conservation Board. The objectives of the program are to restore and enhance the ecological health of private rangelands. Management plans cited in the bill shall include science-based goals and actions to maintain or improve the ecological function of private rangeland, including supporting a diversity and abundance of native species and other benefits such as climate resilience. STATUS: Set for a May 19 hearing in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
SB 1158 (Becker) This bill would do several things related to load serving entities, including CCAs, and their integrated resource plans and greenhouse gas emissions reporting. STATUS: Approved in the policy committees; Set for a May 19 hearing in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
SB 1173 (Lena Gonzalez and Scott Wiener) A fossil fuel divestment bill. SB 1173 would prohibit the boards of the Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) and the State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) from making new investments or renewing existing investments of public employee retirement funds in fossil fuel corporations. Read The Climate Center’s Letter of Support. Read the author factsheet. STATUS: APPROVED May 19 in the Senate Appropriations Committee. On to the Senate Floor.
SB 1230 (Limón) Aimed at simplifying the application process for zero-emission and near-zero emission vehicle incentive programs. Read the author’s factsheet. STATUS: Approved in the policy committees; Set for a May 19 hearing in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
SB 1314 (Limón) Would prohibit an oil well operator from injecting a concentrated carbon dioxide fluid produced by a carbon dioxide capture project for purposes of enhanced oil recovery. Read the Author’s Factsheet. STATUS: Heard May 9 hearing in the Senate Appropriations Committee. Ordered to a second reading.
SB 1322 (Allen) Would enact the California Oil Refinery Cost Disclosure Act and would require operators of refineries in the state to report to the California Energy Commission the volume of crude oil refined into gasoline in the prior month, the average price paid for each barrel of crude oil that is refined into gasoline in the prior month, and the gross and net refining margins per barrel of gasoline sold in the prior month within 7 days of the end of each month. The bill would require the CEC to post the data on its website and to impose penalties on refinery operators for failure to report. STATUS: Heard May 16 in the Appropriations Committee. Ordered to the Senate Floor for a second reading pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8.
SB 1482 (Allen) Would require mandatory new building standards for the installation of EV charging infrastructure for parking spaces in multifamily dwellings to include specific technical and signage requirements. STATUS: Set for a May 19 hearing in the Appropriations Committee.
SB 1486 (Stern) This bill would do several things related to the Aliso Canyon Gas Storage facility in southern California including requiring that the Aliso Canyon Withdrawal Protocol remain in effect until the CPUC closes all fossil gas operations at the Aliso Canyon gas storage facility no later than 2027. STATUS: Set for a May 19 hearing in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
SB 1203 (Becker) Would require that state agencies “aim” to achieve zero net emissions of greenhouse gases resulting from their operations no later than January 1, 2035. Read the author’s factsheet. STATUS: Set for a May 19 hearing in the Appropriations Committee.
SB 1251 (Gonzalez) This bill would establish the Office of the Zero-Emission Vehicle Equity Advocate in the Governor’s office to steer the development of a shared, cross-agency definition of equity, and to set an equity agenda for the deployment of light-, medium-, and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles, the supporting infrastructure, and workforce development. Read the author’s factsheet. Read The Climate Center’s Letter of Support. STATUS: Heard April 19 in the Senate Transportation Committee. Results coming soon.
SCR 53 (McGuire, et al) – This measure would declare that a climate emergency threatens the state, the nation, the planet, the natural world, and all of humanity. Read The Climate Center’s SUPPORT LETTER. STATUS: Cleared in the Senate on January 26; assigned to the Assembly Natural Resources Committee, hearing date pending.
Bills that The Climate Center supports if amended
Coming soon
Bills that The Climate Center opposes unless amended
Coming soon
Bills that The Climate Center opposes
SB 1101 (Caballero) Would require the Air Resources Board to establish a Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage Program to accelerate the development of new technologies to capture and sequester carbon dioxide emissions from industrial and commercial facilities. It further specifies that free “pore space” (the tiny but cumulatively voluminous spaces underground between soil or mineral grains) can be used for the storage of gaseous or liquid substances. STATUS: Approved April 25 in the Senate Natural Resources Committee. Referred to Appropriations.
SB 1287 (Bradford) This bill would require newly forming Community Choice Agencies (CCAs) to post bonds or demonstrate insurance coverage in an amount of no less than $500,000. The bill would also empower the CPUC to require new CCAs include financial security that would meet no less than 12 months of incremental procurement cost incurred by the provider of last resort (currently the incumbent IOU in all cases), upon the CCA customers’ involuntary return to the incumbent utility. The effective impact of this bill would be to foreclose on virtually any new CCAs forming. STATUS: Introduced February 18. Assigned to the Senate Energy Committee.
SB 1410 (Caballero) This bill would dismantle the vehicle miles traveled (VMT) methodology for analyzing transportation impacts under CEQA pursuant to SB 743 (2013). STATUS: Approved April 27 in the Senate Environmental Quality Committee. Referred to Appropriations Committee.
SB 1430 (Melendez) Would suspend the 2020 Title 24 solar on new homes mandate. STATUS: April 18 hearing in the Senate Energy Committee canceled at the request of author. Status TBD.
Bills that The Climate Center is monitoring but for which we have not taken a public position
ASSEMBLY BILLS
AB 353 (O’Donnell) Existing law establishes the Oil Trust Fund in the State Treasury to finance the costs of well abandonment, pipeline removal, facility removal, remediation, and other costs associated with removal of oil and gas facilities from the Long Beach tidelands. Existing law prohibits the total amount deposited in the fund from exceeding $300,000,000 and requires all interest earned on money in the fund after the balance in the fund totals $300,000,000 to be transferred to the General Fund. This bill would delete the provisions relating to the limit on the total amount deposited in the fund. STATUS: APPROVED in the Assembly; Set for a June 1 hearing in the Senate Natural Resources Committee.
AB 1078 (Patterson) This bill extends by one year an exemption from requirements to include installation of solar on homes being rebuilt that were destroyed by wildfire. It exempts any homes destroyed in the 2020 calendar year and moves the expiration of the exemption from 2023 to 2024. STATUS: APPROVED in the Assembly; Set for a May 31 hearing in the Senate Energy Committee.
AB 1369 (Bennett) This bill adds new categories of materials to the list of materials that are eligible under the “Buy Clean” program and must report GHG emissions. STATUS: APPROVED in the Assembly; ordered to the Senate, double-referred to the Senate Governmental Organization and Environmental Quality committees.
AB 1384 (Gabriel) Resiliency Through Adaptation, Economic Vitality, and Equity Act of 2022. STATUS: Pulled from inactive file in April. In the Senate Floor process and on calendar May 12, 2022.
AB 1445 (Levine) This bill adds the impacts of climate change such as sea level rise and wildfire escape routes to the list of factors in local government general plans and used to develop the methodology for regional housing needs. STATUS: APPROVED in the Assembly; set for a May 31` hearing in the Senate Housing Committee.
AB 1634 (Boerner-Horvath) This bill would express the intent of the Legislature to enact subsequent legislation to create the Office of Just Transition in the Labor and Workforce Development Agency to help communities and workers transition to carbon neutrality jobs that build a robust clean economy in which all Californians prosper. STATUS: Introduced January 12, 2022.
AB 1640 (Ward) Regional climate network bill – Networks to develop regional climate adaptation and resilience action plans. STATUS: Introduced January 12, referred to the Asm Natural Resources Committee.
AB 1674 (Voepel) Would reconsider applying 2020 solar mandate to auxiliary dwelling units (ADUs). STATUS: Double-referred to the Assembly Natural Resources Committee and the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee.
AB 1676 (Burke) This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would facilitate the deployment of carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration in order to help meet the state’s climate change goals. STATUS: April 25 hearing in the Natural Resources Committee CANCELED at request of author.
AB 1694 (Levine) Would require an admitted insurer, on or before January 1, 2024, and on or before each January 1 thereafter, to disclose its investments in fossil fuel-related entities and the fossil fuel-related companies and projects it underwrites or otherwise insures. The bill would require the department to publish that information on its internet website on or before April 1, 2024, and on or before each April 1 thereafter. The bill would authorize the commissioner to take regulatory action to prohibit or restrict fossil fuel-related investments and underwriting. STATUS: Referred to the Assembly Insurance Committee.
AB 1738 (Boerner Horvath) Addresses installation of electric vehicle charging stations at cost-effective trigger points in existing multifamily dwellings, schools, hotels, motels, and nonresidential development during retrofits to existing buildings. STATUS: Set for a May 19 hearing in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
AB 1778 (C. Garcia) This bill would prohibit any state funds or personnel time from being used to fund or permit freeway widening projects in areas with high rates of pollution and poverty. STATUS: Set for a May 18 hearing in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
AB 1897 (Wicks) Penalties for refineries. STATUS: Set for a May 19 hearing in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
AB 1956 (Mathis) This bill would create a 5-year woody biomass rural county collection and disposal pilot program, to be administered by the CalRecycle Greenhouse Gas Reduction Revolving Loan Program. STATUS: Introduced February 10. Assigned to the Assembly Natural Resources Committee.
AB 1966 (Muratsuchi) This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to subsequently amend previous legislation that created the Clean Transportation Program to include provisions that would establish the California Equitable Just Transition Fund to assist fossil fuel-dependent workers with wage replacement, wage insurance, pension guarantees, health care, retraining, peer counseling, and relocation support for fossil fuel workers who face layoffs due to closure of operations. STATUS: Introduced February 10.
AB 2075 (Ting) A bill related to electric vehicle charging standards. It would would require the CEC to adopt EV charging standards that would be be incorporated into other building design and construction standards. STATUS: APPROVED in committees; In the Assembly Floor Process.
AB 2143 (Carrillo) Would require prevailing wage for non-residential solar-photovoltaic projects over 15 kilowatts in capacity. STATUS: Set for a May 19 hearing in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
AB 2237 (Friedman) This bill is an attempt to bring transportation funding at the local level into alignment with the need to reduce the emissions that cause air pollution and climate change. If enacted as written, it would mean more money for transit, bicycle and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure, and no more dollars for road expansions that increase vehicle miles travelled and the associated emissions. Because of that, it’s opposed by local governments and developers. STATUS: Set for a May 19 hearing in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
AB 2316 (Ward) A community solar bill sponsored by the Coalition for Community Solar Access. This bill would require the CPUC, on or before July 1, 2023, to establish the Community Renewable Energy Program to authorize a distribution customers of IOUs to subscribe to, and receive bill credits resulting from, the electricity generated by a community renewable energy facility, as defined, interconnected within the service territory of that IOU. STATUS: Set for a May 18 hearing in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
AB 2696 (E. Garcia) Relates to ownership and control of electricity transmission infrastructure, and matters relating to achieving state greenhouse gas emission goals. STATUS: APPROVED May 19 hearing in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. On to a hearing on the Assembly Floor.
AB 2731 (Ting) Would require that 100% of all newly purchased, contracted, or operated school buses of a school district, county office of education, or charter school to be zero-emission vehicles by January 1, 2035. STATUS: Set for a May 23 hearing in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
AB 2944 (Petrie-Norris) Requires the Air Resources Board (ARB) to include an evaluation of how carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS) technologies are contributing to the state’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction goals in an annual report to the Legislature. STATUS: Approved May 19 in the Appropriations Committee. On to the Assembly Floor.
SENATE BILLS
SB 18 (Skinner) Would require the Air Resources Board, by December 31, 2022, as a part of the scoping plan and the state’s goal for carbon neutrality, to identify the role of hydrogen, particularly green hydrogen, in helping California achieve the its climate goals. The bill would require the ARB, in consultation with the California Energy Commission and Public Utilities Commission, to prepare an evaluation posted to the ARB’s website by June 1, 2023, that includes specified information relative to the deployment, development, and use of hydrogen. STATUS: Held in Assembly Natural Resources Committee since August 2021.
SB 45 (Portantino) Provides assistance to local governments in achieving organic waste reduction goals and reducing short-lived climate pollutants such as methane. STATUS: APPROVED in the Senate; Assigned to the Assembly Natural Resources Committee.
SB 542 (Limón) SB 542 would provide two tax incentives for consumers who purchase a new medium- or heavy-duty zero-emission truck and would establish sales tax and DMV fee parity between medium- and heavy-duty (MHD) zero-emission trucks and their diesel or gasoline equivalent. STATUS: Set for a May 25 hearing in the Assembly Taxation and Revenue Committee.
SB 839 (Dodd) Pursuant to existing law, the commission has authorized the state’s three major IOUs to offer reliability-based DR programs, including the Base Interruptible Program (BIP), which is available to qualifying nonresidential customers. This bill would require each of those IOUs to make its BIP available to its qualifying commercial and industrial customers regardless of the LSE that is those customers’ supplier of electricity. Because the bill would require actions by those LSEs that are Community Choice agencies (CCAs), the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require the CPUC to implement a pilot economic DR program or optional rate design, to be administered by those IOUs, in which BIP participants may elect to participate, to operate for a 4-year period. Under existing law, the Scheduled Load Reduction Program requires each IOU to develop and offer to its customers the opportunity to participate in a DR program and requires the CPUC to develop appropriate incentives for customers to participate in the program. This bill would repeal that program. STATUS: Approved March 14 hearing in the Senate Energy Committee; referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
SB 881 (Min) This is an Integrated Resource Planning Bill. It would require the CPUC to require each load-serving entity (LSE) in the state to undertake sufficient procurement to achieve a diverse, balanced, and reliable statewide portfolio and realize specified electricity sector greenhouse gas emissions reductions. STATUS: Set for a May 19 hearing in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
SB 887 (Becker, Stern) Would expedite new electric transmission lines for renewable energy. STATUS: Set for a May 19 hearing in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
SB 942 (Newman) State support for fare-free transit. STATUS: Approved in the Senate, on to the Assembly.
SB 1020 (Laird) Would establish auxiliary goals under the existing SB 100 objective of zero carbon electricity by 2045 in order to bring focus and accountability among the entities responsible for meeting those goals. In conjunction with the clarification and enhancement of these goals, the act will establish a new state agency regarding clean energy and provide funding for home infrastructure upgrades to ensure equitable impacts regionally and socioeconomically. STATUS: Set for a May 19 Appropriations Committee hearing.
SB 1075 (Skinner) Would, among other things, create the California Clean Hydrogen Hub Fund within the State Treasury. BPEDC Committee Analysis. STATUS: Approved in the policy committees, in the Appropriations Committee. Amended May 4. Set for a May 19 hearing in the Appropriations Committee.
SB 1109 (Caballero) This bill increases, extends, and expands requirements on electric utilities to procure energy from biomass generating electric facilities. This bill expands by 100 megawatts (MW) to 225 MW and extends from December 31, 2016 to December 31, 2023, and financial commitments from five years to 15 years. This bill also makes changes to the compensation provided to the biomass facilities to allow for expansion of the types of fuel sources. STATUS: Set for a May 19 hearing in the Appropriations Committee.
SB 1112 (Becker) This bill establishes notification requirements that utilities must provide when adding a decarbonization charge as part of a program financing energy efficiency upgrades to an existing property. STATUS: Set for a May 19 hearing in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
SB 1217 (Allen) Would establish the State-Regional Collaborative for Climate, Equity, and Resilience to provide guidance to the Air Resources Board for approving new guidelines for sustainable communities strategies. STATUS: In Appropriations Suspense file.
SB 1295 (Limón) Allows allow CalGEM to collect funds from the oil industry to match expected federal and state dollars dedicated to cleanup of orphan and abandoned oil wells. STATUS: Set for a May 19 hearing in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
SB 1297 (Cortese) Aims to advance low-carbon materials and methods in building and construction. STATUS: Heard in Senate Appropriations on May 19.
AB 1322 (R. Rivas) A bill that requires the Air Resources Board to develop a plan to expand use of so-called “sustainable” aviation fuels. STATUS: Set for a June 1 hearing in the Senate Environmental Quality Committee.
SB 1329 (Newman) Would expand publicly accessible hydrogen fueling. STATUS: Approved in policy committees; Set for a May 19 hearing in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
SB 1385 (Cortese) This bill directs the CPUC to set up a new multifamily housing local solar program that would require each IOU to construct, or contract for the construction of, a solar and storage system on or near qualified multifamily housing. STATUS: Set for a May 19 hearing in the Sen. Appropriations Committee.
SB 1423 (Stern) This bill aims to restrict oil and gas development and enable offshore renewable energy development. STATUS: Set for a May 19 hearing in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
SB 1463 (Archuleta) Would require the CEC to establish and manage a hydrogen fueling hub in southern California that would include a heavy-duty hydrogen fueling station located at either the Port of Long Beach or the Port of Los Angeles and a medium- and light-duty hydrogen fueling station located within 80 miles of the heavy-duty station. STATUS: Triple referred to the Energy, Transportation, and Env. Quality Committees.
Two-Year Bills (held over from 2021 – status TBD)
ASSEMBLY BILLS
AB 284 (R. Rivas) This bill would require the Air Resources Board, when updating the scoping plan and in collaboration with other relevant state agencies, to take specified actions by January 1, 2023, including, among others, identifying a 2045 climate goal, with interim milestones, for the state’s natural and working lands and identifying practices, policy incentives, market needs, and potential reductions in barriers that would help achieve the 2045 climate goal. The bill would require the ARB to develop standard methods for state agencies to consistently track GHG emissions reductions, carbon sequestration, and additional benefits from natural and working lands over time. Read The Climate Center’s Letter of Support. STATUS: In the Senate inactive file.
AB 585 (L.Rivas, et al) This bill would have established the Extreme Heat and Community Resilience Program to coordinate the state’s efforts to address extreme heat and to facilitate the implementation of regional and state climate change planning. STATUS: In the Senate inactive file.
AB 897 (Mullin) Regional climate networks bill. STATUS: In the Senate inactive file.
AB 965 (Levine) This bill would require the Department of Housing and Community Development and the Building Standards Commission, by July 1, 2024, or the publication of the next interim California Building Code, whichever comes first, to research, develop, and propose building standards regarding the installation of future electric vehicle charging infrastructure for parking spaces for existing multifamily dwellings. Read the author’s FactSheet. STATUS: In the Senate inactive file.
AB 1389 (Reyes) This bill makes various changes to the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program, also known as the Clean Transportation Program (CTP). STATUS: In the Senate inactive file.
AB 1395 (Muratsuchi) The California Climate Crisis Act. STATUS: In the Senate inactive file.
SENATE BILLS
SB 17 (Pan) Would have established a state Office of Racial Equity. STATUS: In the Assembly inactive file.
SB 419 (Stern) This bill requires the use of a skilled and trained workforce, as defined for certain work performed on the state’s oil and gas wells and related production facilities. STATUS: In the Assembly inactive file.
SB 529 (Hertzberg) This bill is relevant to community choice agencies (CCAs). It would create a central procurement entity for electricity procurement, undermining CCA autonomy. The bill authorizes the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to consider changes within the resource adequacy (RA) program, a program to ensure sufficient electricity supply to satisfy demand, including the use of a multiyear centralized RA mechanism, among other options. STATUS: Parked in Senate Rules Committee since June 2021.
SB 612 (Portantino) ACTION ALERT – SB 612 was removed from the June 30 Energy Committee agenda by the Chair, Assemblymember Chris Holden. Read CalCCA’s URGENT ACTION ALERT. This bill would help resolve some of the longstanding issues revolving around the power charge indifference adjustment that is charged to CCA customers as a separate fee, but that all ratepayers pay. The bill would ensure fair and equal access to the benefits of legacy resources held in investor-owned utility (IOU) portfolios and address the management of these resources to maximize value for all customers. Read The Climate Center’s Letter of Support. Read the Author’s Factsheet. STATUS: In the Assembly inactive file.
SB 726 (Gonzalez) This bill will require the development of a comprehensive transportation sustainability strategy and requires the California Air Resources Board to set a greenhouse gas emissions reduction target for the whole transportation sector. This bill also revises and recasts the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program, administered by the California Energy Commission. STATUS: In the Assembly inactive file.
2021/2022 bills that have died:
ASSEMBLY BILLS
AB 11 (Ward) Existing law requires the Strategic Growth Council to establish and administer a regional climate collaborative program to assist under-resourced communities in a region to access statewide public and other grant moneys for climate change mitigation and adaptation projects. This bill would have required the Council to establish up to 12 regional climate change authorities to coordinate climate adaptation and mitigation activities in their regions and coordinate with other regional climate adaptation authorities, state agencies, and other relevant stakeholders. STATUS: DIED 1/31/22 pursuant to Art. IV, Sec. 10(a) of the Constitution (failed to meet deadline).
AB 21 (Bauer-Kahan) Imposes new fines for electricity infrastructure owners regarding brush clearance and fire safety. STATUS: DIED 1/31/22 pursuant to Art. IV, Sec. 10(a) of the Constitution (failed to meet deadline).
AB 50 (Boerner-Horvath) Existing law requires the Natural Resources Agency, in collaboration with the Ocean Protection Council, to create, and update biannually, a Planning for Sea Level Rise Database describing steps being taken throughout the state to prepare for and adapt to sea level rise. This bill would establish the Climate Adaptation Center and Regional Support Network in the Ocean Protection Council to provide local governments facing sea level rise with information and scientific expertise necessary to proceed with sea level rise mitigation. STATUS: DIED 1/31/22 pursuant to Art. IV, Sec. 10(a) of the Constitution (failed to meet deadline).
AB 113 (Boerner-Horvath) Establishes a state tax credit for purchase of electric vehicle service equipment (charging stations) at multifamily dwellings. STATUS: DIED 1/31/22 pursuant to Art. IV, Sec. 10(a) of the Constitution (failed to meet deadline).
AB 125 (R.Rivas) AB 125 is a $3 billion bond to build back a more resilient and equitable food and farm system that would protect and house our essential workers. The Equitable Economic Recovery, Healthy Food Access, Climate Resilient Farms and Worker Protection Bond Act (Rivas, AD 30), invests in 4 pillars of the food system: sustainable agricultural solutions to the climate crisis, farmworker safety and well-being, combating hunger and increasing healthy food access, and regional food economies. Read the Healthy Soils Coalition Bill Summary. STATUS: DIED 1/31/22 pursuant to Art. IV, Sec. 10(a) of the Constitution (failed to meet deadline).
AB 564 (Gonzalez, Kalra) This bill would establish the Biodiversity Protection and Restoration Act and would provide that it is the policy of the state that all state agencies, boards, and commissions shall utilize their authorities in furtherance of the biodiversity conservation purposes and goals of certain executive orders. STATUS: DIED Jan. 31, 2022 pursuant to Art. IV, Sec. 10(a) of the Constitution.
AB 699 (Salas) This bill would require the PUC to establish the Flexible Demand Appliance Rebate Program as a part of the Energy Savings Assistance Program to incentivize the deployment of certain flexible demand appliances, as defined. STATUS: DIED 1/31/22 pursuant to Art. IV, Sec. 10(a) of the Constitution (failed to meet deadline).
AB 943 (E. Garcia) This bill adds specified resilience, adaptation, and quality of life co-benefits to be included in Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) project quantification and revises the criteria for various GGRF grant programs. STATUS: DIED 1/31/22 pursuant to Art. IV, Sec. 10(a) of the Constitution (failed to meet deadline).
AB 1087 (Chiu) This bill would create an Environmental Justice Community Resilience Hubs Program, which would require each investor-owned utility (IOU) to award competitive grants to owners of critical community institutions and qualified housing for holistic community-driven building upgrade projects that demonstrate community engagement in all phases, demonstrate multi-stakeholder partnerships, reflect the geographic diversity of the state, and are installed on those properties. STATUS: DIED 1/31/22 pursuant to Art. IV, Sec. 10(a) of the Constitution (failed to meet deadline).
AB 1110 (R. Rivas) Existing law, the Charge Ahead California Initiative, administered by the Air Resources Board, includes goals of, among other things, placing in service at least one million zero-emission and near-zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) by January 1, 2023, and establishing a self-sustaining California market for ZEVs in which ZEVs are a viable mainstream option for individual vehicle purchasers, businesses, and public fleets. STATUS: DIED 2/1/2022 on inactive file.
AB 1139 (L. Gonzalez) This bill would require the CPUC, no later than February 1, 2022, to develop a replacement for the 2nd net energy metering (NEM) standard contract or tariff (NEM 2.0), which may include net energy metering (NEM 3.0), for an eligible customer-generator with a renewable electrical generation facility that is a customer of a large utility, and would require that utility offer the standard contract or tariff to eligible customer-generators beginning no later than December 31, 2023. Read the original 2021 Coalition Letter of Opposition. STATUS: DIED 2/1/2022 on inactive file.
AB 1218 (McCarty, Berman, Medina, and Ting) This bill sets in law Governor Newsom’s September 2020 Executive Order setting 2035 as the final year that California will register gasoline-powered vehicles. The Climate Center’s position is that the year-certain should be moved up to 2030. Read The Climate Center’s conditional Letter of Support. STATUS: DIED on third reading in Asm Appropriations Committee on 2/1/22.
AB 1317 (Berman) The existing target year for 100% Renewable Portfolio Standard-eligible electricity in the state’s power mix is 2045. This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to accelerate the state’s goal of having 100% of electricity provided by renewable or other zero-carbon sources while maintaining a reliable and resilient electricity grid. STATUS: DIED 1/31/22 pursuant to Art. IV, Sec. 10(a) of the Constitution (failed to meet deadline).
AB 1325 (Burke) Sponsored by The Climate Center. This bill would require the California Public Utilities Commission (“Commission” or “CPUC”) to develop and implement a Clean Community Microgrid Incentive Program by 2022 to fund community microgrids that support the critical needs of vulnerable communities that utilize distributed energy resources for the generation of electricity. Read the author’s FACTSHEET. STATUS: DIED 1/31/22 pursuant to Art. IV, Sec. 10(a) of the Constitution (failed to meet deadline).
AB 1365 (Bonta) This bill would add concrete to the state’s Buy Clean program to leverage California’s purchasing power in deploying low carbon technologies and best practices across the cement-concrete supply chain. STATUS: DIED 1/31/22 pursuant to Art. IV, Sec. 10(a) of the Constitution (failed to meet deadline).
AB 1500 (Eduardo Garcia) This bill would have placed a $6.7 billion “Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparation, Flood Protection, Extreme Heat Mitigation, and Workforce Development Bond Act of 2022” ballot measure on the November 8, 2022 general election ballot. If approved by the voters, would authorize the issuance of bonds in the amount of $6,7 billion to finance projects for, well, safe drinking water, wildfire prevention, drought preparation, flood protection, extreme heat mitigation, and workforce development programs. STATUS: DIED 1/31/22 pursuant to Art. IV, Sec. 10(a) of the Constitution (failed to meet deadline).
AB 1519 (Gallagher) Requires the Natural Resources Agency to develop and implement a biomass fuels transportation grant program to offset the cost of transporting fuels to a biomass energy facility. STATUS: DIED 1/31/22 pursuant to Art. IV, Sec. 10(a) of the Constitution (failed to meet deadline).
SENATE BILLS
SB 30 (Cortese) This bill, dubbed the “State Buildings and Assets Decarbonization Act of 2021” mandates that State buildings and assets achieve carbon-neutrality by 2035 and that the State divest from projects that are not zero emission by 2023. Beginning in 2022, all newly designed and constructed state buildings must be zero emission. SB 30 Fact Sheet. STATUS: FAILED 1/14/2022 — Failed Deadline pursuant to Rule 61(b)(1). (Last location was 2 YEAR on 4/30/2021)
SB 31 (Cortese) This bill, introduced in 2021 and dubbed the “Decarbonization Programs Act” would develop new building decarbonization programs through the California Energy Commission and the Public Utilities Commission, with a particular emphasis on providing opportunities for low income customers. SB 31 Fact Sheet. Read The Climate Center’s 2021 Letter of Support. STATUS: FAILED 1/21/2022 Failed Deadline pursuant to Rule 61(b)(2). (Last location was APPR. SUSPENSE FILE on 5/10/2021)
SB 32 (Cortese) This bill, dubbed the “Decarbonization Act of 2021” would require all cities and counties in California to update their General Plans with objectives, targets, and policies to fully decarbonize their building stock. SB 32 Fact Sheet. STATUS: FAILED 1/21/2022 Failed Deadline pursuant to Rule 61(b)(2). (Last location was 2 YEAR on 5/25/2021)
SB 25 (Hurtado) This bill relates to oil and gas well stimulation treatments, and earthquake and leak monitoring and reporting. STATUS: April 15 2021 hearing in Nat. Resources Committee canceled at the request of the author.
SB 55 (Stern, Allen) SB 55 will put California on the path toward fire-safe growth by prohibiting new residential, commercial and industrial development in very high fire hazard severity zones. STATUS: died
SB 67 (Becker) This bill aims to accelerate the state’s progress toward having 100% of electricity provided by renewable or other zero-carbon sources on a 24-hour, 7-day basis. STATUS: FAILED 1/14/2022 — Failed Deadline pursuant to Rule 61(b)(1). (Last location was 2 YEAR on 4/30/2021)
SB 322 (Laird) This bill would establish the California Conservation Ranching Incentive Program as a separate component of the California Farmland Conservancy Program. STATUS: Died 2/1/22: Returned to Secretary of Senate pursuant to Joint Rule 56.
SB 342 (Gonzalez) This bill would have added two members to the South Coast Air Quality Management District board, appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules and the Speaker of the Assembly. The bill would require the two additional members to reside in and work directly with communities in the South Coast Air Basin that are disproportionately burdened by and vulnerable to high levels of pollution and issues of environmental justice. The Climate Center supports this bill with a friendly amendment to include the same provision at the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. Read the Letter of Support with Amendment that The Climate Center signed on to. STATUS: Failed in the Senate January 31.
SB 345 (Becker) This bill requires the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to establish common definitions of nonenergy benefits and attempt to determine consistent values for use in all distributed energy resource programs. Doing so will help ensure that California maximizes potential co-benefits, including (but not limited to) job creation, improved public health, and much more. The failure to include non-energy benefits in decisions has led to environmental justice communities being left behind, as demonstrated through data at the California Energy Commission and CPUC. Sponsored by the Greenlining Institute. Read The Climate Center’s Letter of Support. STATUS: FAILED 1/21/2022 Failed Deadline pursuant to Rule 61(b)(2). (Last location was 2 YEAR on 5/25/2021)
SB 449 (Stern) Would have required large California-based businesses to annually disclose their climate-related risks to the California Secretary of State. Read The Climate Center’s Letter of Support. STATUS: Died 2/1/22: Returned to Secretary of Senate pursuant to Joint Rule 56.
SB 582 (Stern) This bill updates the statewide greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction target to be up to 80 percent by 2030, establishes climate restoration goals, and tasks the Office of Planning and Research (OPR) and other specified agencies with developing criteria to ensure these goals are achieved equitably. STATUS: On 1/18/2022 the bill was pulled from the inactive file on motion of Senator Hertzberg. Read second time on 1/19. Ordered to third reading. Died 1/31/2022 pursuant to Joint Rule 56.
SB 662 (Archuleta) This bill would require the CPUC to evaluate and implement policies to promote the development of equipment and infrastructure needed to facilitate the use of hydrogen to fuel low-emission vehicles. It would require the CPUC, in collaboration with the ARB and the California Energy Commission, to initiate a proceeding to authorize gas corporations to file applications for investments in programs to accelerate zero-emission vehicle transportation, as defined, provided those programs do not result in cost shifts in customer rates nor result in a net increase in energy sector emissions. . STATUS: Dead. Returned to Secretary of Senate pursuant to Joint Rule 56 on February 1, 2022.
Special Meetings or Hearings
None at this time
Click HERE for the final recap of 2021 legislation.
