State Will Report on Active Climate Change Measures Through New Legislation

(SACRAMENTO) – Assemblymembers Steve Bennett (D-Ventura), Wendy Carrillo (D-Los Angeles), Senator Monique Limón, and representatives from the State's leading environmental organizations announced legislation to bring needed information on how the State is implementing climate change measures.

"The window is closing on the time we have to address climate change," said Bennett, "so there is new urgency to ensure we're on target to meet our climate goals. We can only do that if we have regular updates to ensure that we're doing all we can do to reduce toxic greenhouse gas emissions. This bill is aimed at providing this crucial information from the appropriate state agencies and departments."

"I am proud to join Assemblymember Steve Bennett as a co-author on AB 2532. As the State drafts a plan to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions," said Senator Limon, "we must push for accountability and transparency. This bill will further those goals, giving the public more information on our actions and our progress."

"As a state, we have laid out ambitious goals to combat climate change," said Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo (AD-51). "However, in our path towards achieving those goals, we must understand with clarity the progress being made along the way and the benchmarks we are meeting to date. This bill is about working with our departments and agencies to ensure we are meeting our carbon reduction goals as a state."

"While California has a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the devil is in the details. Assemblymember Bennett's bill will provide accountability and ensure that our state has a strategy to actually meet our goals for reducing harmful carbon emissions and reducing our contribution to climate change," said Linda Krop, Chief Counsel of the Environmental Defense Center, a nonprofit environmental law firm headquartered in Santa Barbara. "The bill's added transparency will provide both the public and decision-makers with the necessary information to implement real reductions in climate disrupting emissions."

Daniel Gluesenkamp, Executive Director, California Institute for Biodiversity commented: "In 2006, California's Global Warming Solutions Act was a revolutionary step in the right direction: a public process to achieve maximum feasible greenhouse gas reductions. Today, as ecosystems strain from ‘weather whiplash' and California's biodiversity faces an uncertain future, it is time to renew our commitment.  This elegant proposal for public accountability asks state government to do two simple things: state clearly what you are supposed to do, and tell us what you have done.  California deserves no less."

Nick Lapis, Director of Advocacy for Californians Against Waste, remarks that "tackling climate change requires us to use all the tools in our toolbox, and one of the landmarks of California's greenhouse gas reduction strategies is that the state has gone beyond smokestacks and tailpipes to look for cost-effective greenhouse gas reductions throughout the economy, including waste reduction, land use planning, and natural and working lands. AB 2532 provides greater transparency into the actions that California's state agencies have undertaken to rise to this challenge."

AB 2532, a common sense measure, will require state agencies and departments to report publicly on their websites the actions they are taking to implement the groundbreaking Climate Change Action Plan developed under AB 32. The bill was introduced last week in the Assembly and is likely to be referred to Assembly Natural Resources Committee for a hearing later this spring.