New Climate Bills? 2023 Legislative Session Recap
The legislative session is officially over. We had some victories, and we faced some defeats. Here's the good, the bad, the ugly of the 2023 session.
Climate bills that have successfully passed the Senate and are now awaiting the governor's signature:
Assembly Bill 1167, or the Orphan Well Prevention Act, has passed the Senate with a vote of 21-11 following a challenging battle. This legislation addresses the issue of well abandonment, where oil and gas corporations shift the responsibility of decommissioning old wells to smaller companies lacking the resources for proper cleanup. In addition to protecting against leaky wells left behind by oil companies, this bill holds them accountable instead of allowing taxpayers to bail them out.
Assembly Bill 652 is set to establish an Environmental Justice Advisory Committee tasked with offering valuable recommendations to the Department of Pesticide Regulation to mitigate health disparities arising from pesticide exposure. This legislation empowers communities disproportionately affected by pesticides, allowing them to play a pivotal role in shaping pesticide regulations.
Assembly Bill 249 will mandate lead testing for drinking water fountains and faucets within school premises. This legislation will impose this crucial testing requirement and set a goal of reducing lead levels in school drinking water to zero. A state allocation of $25 million will cover the testing and cleanup costs. If lead is detected at schools above five parts per billion, AB 249 will require immediate contamination remediation.
Want to do more? Contact Governor Newsom and ask that he sign these bills into law! Visit http://gov.ca.gov/contact or call 916-445-2841 today.
More good news:
Assembly Bill 421 has been signed into law! AB 421 will ensure voters have the information they need to understand who is behind overturning a law and will clarify ballot language on whether a vote means overturning or upholding a law. AB 421 introduces much-needed reforms to the referendum process to combat widespread fraud and abuse that has recently come to light in our system.
Now, the bad - here's where we need YOUR help!
Assembly Bill 1633 allows applicants dissatisfied with an agency's decisions regarding the environmental review for a qualifying housing project to sue the lead agency before the project is approved or denied. This bill fundamentally changes the existing California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) litigation rules, which prohibit lawsuits until the project is approved. This poses a significant threat to our environment and communities, giving developers unchecked power to initiate a wave of litigation against public agencies. Learn more about CEQA with CEQA Works.
Contact Governor Newsom to demand a VETO on AB 1633.
