SACRAMENTO - Today, U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer (both D-CA) came out in support of two major climate and clean energy bills that are before the state Legislature, SB 32 and SB 350, and sent this open letter to members of the California State Assembly.
Signed letter linked here, text below.
Open Letter to the California State Assembly on Senate Bill 350 and Senate Bill 32
Dear Members of the California State Assembly,
We want to begin by commending you for taking historic steps in recent years to address one of the greatest challenges we face – climate change.
We know you share our view that climate change is happening all around us and is a dangerous reality that we cannot ignore. We are already seeing the effects: record high temperatures, wildfires and floods, and a crippling drought that has harmed communities across California.
This is an issue that requires strong and courageous leadership, and that is why we urge you to support Senate President Pro Tem Kevin De León’s Senate Bill 350 and Senator Fran Pavley’s Senate Bill 32. These visionary bills would set ambitious goals on renewable energy, energy efficiency and reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, building on the success California has already had in protecting public health and creating clean energy jobs.
California has demonstrated again and again that we can fight climate change while continuing to grow our state’s robust economy. During the first year and a half of our state’s cap and trade program, California added 491,000 jobs and had a growth rate of 3.3 percent, outpacing the national average of 2.5 percent.
Other states are also setting ambitious clean energy goals. Hawaii, for example, is requiring its utilities to produce 100 percent of the state’s electricity from renewable sources by 2045 and the state is seeking to replace 70 percent of petroleum-based ground transportation fuels with locally sourced biofuels by 2030.
Governor Brown was absolutely right when he said recently that we must “intensify our efforts to do lower-carbon fuels and lower-carbon pollution, now and into the future.”
In the coming decades, all of us will be asked by our children and grandchildren, “When you served in public office, did you do everything in your power to combat the threat of climate change?” This is a chance to seize a historic opportunity to protect the health and safety of our people, to expand our economy, and to help safeguard our environment for generations to come.
The California State Senate showed real leadership in passing these bills earlier this year. We urge you to join your colleagues and do the right thing for our state, our country and our planet by enacting SB 350 and SB 32.
Sincerely,
U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer
U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein
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#ActOnClimate #SB350
Separate the facts from the fiction on SB 350 http://focus.senate.ca.gov/climate/sb350-facts.
For more information on the California Climate Leadership Package visit http://focus.senate.ca.gov/climate.