These bills will protect our air, water, and communities

• AB 40 – Ensures that proposed coal facilities receive a full environmental review to protect community health and the environment.
• AB 1448 – Safeguards California’s coast by increasing oversight of existing offshore oil operations and preventing the use of state infrastructure for new federal offshore oil and gas production.
• AB 2157 – Supports workers and communities as California transitions away from fossil fuels by making permanent a program that helps displaced oil and gas workers train for good-paying jobs in growing industries.
• AB 1577- Requires data centers to report energy usage for planning purposes.
• SB 954 – Closes a toxic pollution legal-loophole passed last year by reinstating basic protections before a project is approved, and restores a community’s right to know about and have a say in developing manufacturing facilities proposed near their homes, schools, and water supply.
• SB 1087 – Streamlines and better defines processes in the Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS) established decades ago. To date, little to no progress has been made on key SCS goals – such as meeting carbon emission reduction targets. Would require progress reports, and retain the Air Resources Board as the lead oversight agency. The bill also retains environmental review requirements for transportation projects – a crucial guardrail to protect against environmentally destructive projects.

These bills will move us towards affordable, reliable electricity

• AB 2313 – Would require gas utilities to offer customers incentives to convert to all-electric appliances before replacing outdated gas service lines. In many cases, this is a cheaper option.
• AB 1813 – Would expand access to community solar and storage by properly valuing community solar and storage projects, and would require prioritizing low-income communities. Expanding small distributed energy projects decreases the use of expensive and polluting generation during peaks.
• SB 913 – Would lower electricity costs by providing a path for existing energy resources like rooftop solar, batteries, and electric vehicles to count toward the state’s reliability requirements. Using existing resources will lower electricity costs, reduce reliance on polluting power plants, and strengthen the grid.
• SB 868 – Would allow small, affordable solar devices up to 1,200 watts (often referred to as Balcony Solar) to easily plug into home systems without utility intervention. The bill expands access to clean energy, especially for renters who have traditionally been left out of rooftop solar options.
• SB 905 – Would improve grid utilization, reduce the overly-generous guaranteed rates of return, set utility performance goals, and tie utility executive pay to keeping rates at or below inflation.
• SB 222 –  High efficiency heat pump water heaters and heat pump space heating and cooling systems can help reduce carbon emissions in homes. This bill would accelerate adoption of efficient technologies by streamlining permitting processes and reducing installation barriers. Reducing energy use reduces strain on the grid, reducing costs for everyone
• SB 327 – Stops utilities from passing on lobbying expenses, specifically those opposing local efforts to create publicly-owned utilities.
• SB 886 – Would create a special tariff for data centers to make sure they pay the cost of the infrastructure required to serve the new loads.

And a couple more common sense bills