Press Release

| Press Release

California lawmakers vote to approve billions in cuts to climate programs

System Change Not Climate Change

SACRAMENTO — Moments ago, the California legislature passed AB 107, the Budget Act of 2024. As expected following Governor Newsom’s May revise, this budget includes billions in cuts and deferrals to climate spending, impacting programs for wildfire resilience, distributed clean energy, sustainable agriculture, and more. In response, The Climate Center’s Chief Operating Officer Barry Vesser … Read more

Categories Climate Justice Community Energy Resilience Fossil Fuels Public Health
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With revised budget, Governor Newsom cuts climate investments but protects fossil fuel subsidies

SACRAMENTO — Moments ago, Governor Newsom revealed key details of his May budget revision to be released next week, cementing his intentions to cut billions of dollars from programs designed to clean the air and reduce climate pollution. Despite a multibillion-dollar deficit, the governor is yet to respond to advocates’ calls to eliminate all tax … Read more

Categories Carbon Sequestration Climate Targets Fossil Fuels
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Q1 lobbying: Big Oil spends over $7.2 million fighting bills to make polluters pay

Chevron, WSPA biggest spenders, with Chevron putting $3 million into pro-polluter front groups. Big Oil on pace for annual expenditure record.

Chevron is California's top corporate polluter and top spender on lobbying and other tactics to influence to state leaders. Photo by Tony Webster / Wikimedia Commons.

SACRAMENTO — Lobbying disclosures for quarter one show that the oil industry spent over $7.2 million to kill California legislation that would make corporate polluters pay their fair share. The top five oil industry spenders alone spent over $6.1 million to influence California state leaders, led by Chevron at over $3 million. The Western States … Read more

Categories Climate Justice Fossil Fuels
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Budget cuts threaten California’s progress on natural climate solutions

Farmworker in California's Central Valley. Photo by Canva.

SACRAMENTO — On Monday, the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) released a new set of targets for nature-based climate solutions as required by AB 1757 (C. Garcia and R. Rivas, 2022). While the new targets should help California sequester more carbon on our natural and working lands than we emit, they mean little without state … Read more

Categories Carbon Sequestration Climate Targets
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Facing budget deficit, Governor Newsom must eliminate all fossil fuel subsidies and tax breaks

Gavin Newsom by Charlie Kaijo

SACRAMENTO — Faced with a $38 billion budget deficit, Governor Newsom today announced additional proposed cuts to California’s climate and energy investments. If approved by the legislature, these cuts would bring California’s multi-year climate budget down to $48.3 billion from the $54 billion approved in 2022, an 11 percent reduction. Some of these cuts may … Read more

Categories Climate Justice Fossil Fuels
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COP28 fails to deliver fossil fuel phaseout plan, so California must

Baani Behniwal and Barry Vesser Dubai COP28

SAN FRANCISCO — COP28, the annual United Nations climate conference, has come to a close. While UN officials call the agreement reached the “beginning of the end” of fossil fuels, it still falls well short of what science says is necessary to limit global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius, as defined by the Paris Agreement.  In … Read more

Categories Carbon Sequestration Climate Justice Fossil Fuels
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Big Oil’s Q3 lobbying spending brings year-to-date total to $20.6 million in last-ditch effort to kill California climate bills

Oil and gas interests have spent more on lobbying than all of 2022 with one quarter remaining

Activists gather near an Inglewood Oil Field in Los Angeles, one of the largest contiguous urban oil fields in the country, to urge the Governor of California to take action to phase out fossil fuels, beginning with those within 2500 feet of homes and other sensitive sites.

SACRAMENTO — Lobbying disclosures from Quarter 3, representing lobbying between July 1 and September 30, 2023, show that oil companies and trade associations spent more than $7.2 million on influence-related activities in an all-out effort to kill California climate bills.  This brings the total year-to-date spending by Big Oil to more than $20.6 million, already … Read more

Categories Divestment Fossil Fuels
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California awarded $1.2 billion for hydrogen program

SACRAMENTO, October 13, 2023 — Earlier today, Governor Newsom announced that California will receive up to $1.2 billion from the U.S. Department of Energy for the Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems (ARCHES) program.  ARCHES is a statewide, public-private partnership with the stated goal of accelerating renewable hydrogen projects and supporting California’s transition to … Read more

Categories Clean Energy Energy Efficiency Fossil Fuels
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Governor Newsom signs suite of polluter accountability bills into law

COP26 Mobilization in Quezon City, Philippines

​​SACRAMENTO, October 7, 2023 — Moments ago, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a suite of bills passed by the California legislature designed to hold corporate climate polluters accountable. Bills signed by the governor today include: “Without transparency, there can be no accountability,” said Ryan Schleeter, Communications Director for The Climate Center. “We applaud Governor Newsom for … Read more

Categories Climate Justice Divestment Fossil Fuels
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California launches precedent-setting lawsuit against Big Oil – The Climate Center response

Chevron is one of five oil corporations named alongside the American Petroleum Institute in California's landmark new climate case.

Update September 17, 2023: Speaking at a panel discussion on climate change in New York City on Sunday, Governor Newsom indicated that he will sign SB 253 (Wiener) and SB 261 (Stern), both of which are focused on corporate climate accountability. ### SACRAMENTO — Today, before thousands of people prepare to march in both New … Read more

Categories Climate Justice Fossil Fuels