The PCL Insider: News From The Capitol

STRONG CLOSE TO THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION – BATTLE FOR BILLS NOT OVER YET

Last Thursday night, lawmakers in Sacramento wrapped up the 2005-2006 California legislative session. We're proud to report that, despite some setbacks, the session was one of the most successful we've seen in recent years for environmental and public health legislation.

The Best: California made history when Governor Schwarzenegger committed to sign AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (Núñez & Pavley), which requires California to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions back to 1990 levels by 2020. When Schwarzenegger seals the deal later this month, California will become the first state in the nation to set a statewide cap on greenhouse gas emissions, spurring innovation and creating thousands of new jobs in the clean technology industry.

The Legislature also passed several other strong global warming bills including Senate President Don Perata's SB 1368 which would prohibit all long-term energy contracts for energy facilities unless their air emissions are as low, or lower, than emissions from new, clean, and efficient natural gas power plants. 

We also want to send a special thanks to all of the Environmental Justice activists who filled the Capitol in the last days of the session. Your advocacy caught the attention of lawmakers and was vital to tipping the balance in favor of the public interest on numerous priority bills.

The Worst: Unfortunately, the Legislature squandered an opportunity to enact progressive flood legislation this year. Despite the best efforts of Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, Assemblymember Lois Wolk and many others, nearly every single piece of legislation to improve flood safety in California failed to make it through the last rocky weeks of the session. The Building Industry Association of California played a key role in this debacle, investing considerable financial resources in derailing the legislation.

Also, several bills to increase penalties for violations of air quality standards and improve transparency in decisions that affect air quality died just short of the finish line. We were especially saddened to see Assemblymembers Nicole Parra and Barbara Matthews actively lobbying against SB 999, which would have strengthened the Central Valley Air Resources Board.

Now that the clamor has died down and most lawmakers have left Sacramento, our attention turns to the Governor who has until the end of the month to sign or veto legislation.

Here are a few of the environmental and public health bills that we'll be urging Governor Schwarzenegger to sign: (Help us by calling the Governor's office at (916) 445-2841 and asking for his support!)

SB 1796, the sole surviving flood bill, would reform the state Reclamation Board, which oversees flood management and levee issues. Currently board members can be - and have been - replaced by the Governor at a moment's notice and do not need expertise in flood issues. Under SB 1796, the board would be expanded to include several positions with specific qualifications; board members would serve fixed terms; and each appointed board member would need to be confirmed by the Legislature.

SB 1640 would greatly improve monitoring of groundwater and surface water in California, allowing the State to make more informed decisions about how to better manage this finite resource.

AB 1012, the Foreign Oil Independence Legislation Act, would provide the California Air Resources Board (CARB) with the authority to require that by 2020, 50% of new passenger cars and light duty trucks be clean, alternative fuel vehicles such as hydrogen, plug-in hybrids, and flex fuel vehicles.

SB 927 would collect $30 for each twenty-foot container moving through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to mitigate air pollution from the ports, increase port efficiency, and enhance port security. According to the California Air Resources Board, emissions from ports and goods movement activities cause 2,400 premature deaths and more than one million school absences in the state yearly. And, the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles plan to triple their operations by 2020, furthering the impact on the surrounding communities' health and the region's air quality. Environmental advocates have been working tirelessly to keep this sensible legislation alive and need our support to convince the Governor to approve the new fee.

AB 289, which the Governor vetoed last year, would monitor the presence and concentration of toxic chemicals that are found in a myriad of products including cosmetics, foodstuffs, fuels, plastics and pesticides.

Last year the Governor signed AB 121, which penalized the presence of lead in candy. This year he has three new opportunities to sign legislation that reduces human exposure to lead; AB 1681, which would prohibit lead-containing jewelry; AB 1953, which would prohibit the use of non-lead free plumbing; and AB 2861, which would increase lead abatement penalties.

We'll let you know what the Governor decides in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!