California Notches Wins for Climate, Nature and Health

The state legislature adjourned its 2023-24 session on Saturday, August 31^st sending hundreds of bills to Governor Newsom's desk. After intense lobbying from a variety of stakeholders, NRDC and our partners successfully advanced bills to address food waste, curb toxic chemicals, promote building electrification, hold the oil industry accountable, and more. Governor Newsom signed many of the environmental community's priority bills and vetoed those that would have threated California's clean air progress. Below is a recap of California legislative wins and a few setbacks. Looking to November and beyond, Californians have an opportunity to support investments in clean drinking water, natural resources, and food and farm resilience with a "YES" vote on Proposition 4 on the general election ballot. This measure will provide much needed new funding to build a healthier, more resilient California. With new laws and budget wins on the books, NRDC stands ready to work with partners and state leaders to implement lasting change and prosperity.

Climate and Clean Air

AB 660 (Irwin) helps reduce food waste and greenhouse gas emissions by standardizing date labels to alleviate confusion as to whether food is still safe to eat.*

AB 1866 (Hart) increases fees payable in lieu of filing an idle oil well management plan and increases the rate at which idle wells must be returned to service or safely plugged and abandoned.

AB 2716 requires the plugging and abandoning of all wells within the Inglewood Oil Field by December 31, 2030.

AB 2851 (Bonta) requires metal shredding facilities in California to install a fence line air monitoring system and establish a community notification standard. The bill also imposes fees on metal shredding facilities to help fund the state's regulatory activities.

AB 3233 (Addis) clarifies the authority of a local entity, by ordinance, to regulate, limit, or prohibit oil and gas operations or development in its jurisdiction.

SB 960 (Wiener) requires state-owned streets to safely and comfortably accommodate all road users, including those who are walking, biking, and using public transit.

SB 1221 (Min) ensures that utilities are planning for neighborhood-scale electrification and scrutinizing any gas pipeline replacement projects. *

NRDC and partners successfully opposed the following anti-clean air bills

AB 637 (Jackson) would have weakened the Advanced Clean Fleets rule recently enacted by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Veto message

AB 3179 (J. Carrillo) would have weakened the Advanced Clean Fleets rule for telecommunications vehicles. Veto message

AB 1122 (Bains) would have undermined CARB's Commercial Harbor Craft rule by delaying the requirements for certain vessels to install a new engine or retrofit an existing engine. Veto message

AB 1296 (Grayson) would have weakened the Commercial Harbor Craft rule by allowing San Francisco pilot boats to delay compliance with the requirements. Veto message

Toxics and Health

AB 347 (Ting) Enhances enforcement for various laws banning toxic "forever" PFAS chemicals in products, including textiles and apparel, paper-based food packaging, and certain children's products.

AB 1042 (Bauer-Kahan) Improves labels on pesticide-treated seeds by requiring registration numbers, indications of toxicity, and the application rate. This bill builds on last year's AB 363 to help protect Californians and pollinators from neonicotinoids or "neonics." *

NRDC and partners successfully opposed AB 2745 (Mathis), which would have broadly authorized Agricultural Commissioners to assess civil penalties to curb "nuisance" pests without providing protection for California's smallest and most vulnerable farmers.Veto message

Nature

SB 1399 (Stern) clarifies that private transfer fees required by contract or other agreements entered into prior to January 1, 2019, are not prohibited by state law, thereby assuring that the Tejon Ranch Conservation Agreement can proceed as intended. *

ACR 210 (Bennett) calls upon state agencies to prioritize, as supported by science, public process, and adaptive management, the expansion of California's Marine Protected Area Network. *

Setbacks - bills that did not reach NRDC's desired outcome

AB 98 (J. Carrillo) flawed legislation that fails to adequately promote health and wellbeing in parts of the state burdened by the impacts of warehouse development. Signed

AB 2537 (Addis) would have authorized the California Energy Commission to allocate capacity building grants for communities near offshore wind development. Veto message

SB 1420 (Caballero) Streamlines environmental review processes for certain hydrogen production facilities that may not be environmentally beneficial. Signed

* NRDC sponsored or co-sponsored bill

Thank you for contacting your state representatives on these critical environmental bills.

Darryl Little Jr., California Legislative Advocate assisted with this blog.

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