Climate Change

SACRAMENTO – The California Senate today welcomed Rear Admiral Markham K. Rich, Navy Commander for the Southwest Region, and Navy Captain William Whitmire, of the Naval Corps of Engineers. Pro Tem Kevin de León and Senator Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills) presented the officers with a resolution commending the leadership of the U.S. Navy in its efforts to improve energy security by deploying renewable energy technology, energy efficiency, and water conservation measures (VIDEO).

Sacramento—Pope Francis declared today an annual “World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation.” The declaration by the Holy See marked the Catholic Church’s first day of prayer for creation notched up the Pope’s profile as an advocate for the environment and his willingness to delve into the contentious political debate over climate action.

California Democrats are optimistic that the state will be able to achieve sweeping new environmental objectives outlined in recently passed legislation, the state’s Senate president said Wednesday.

His assessment was expressed at an event in Sacramento hosted by RealClearPolitics and sponsored by the Diesel Technology Forum. RCP Washington Bureau Chief Carl Cannon quizzed Kevin de León, president pro tempore of the California Senate, as well as environmental and business experts about the state’s energy and climate challenges.

The California Senate voted Wednesday in favor of legislation that would require the state’s — and country’s — two largest pension funds to divest of their investments in thermal coal power companies. The bill’s next stop will be a vote in the California State Assembly. If California passes the coal divestment legislation, it will become the first U.S. state to do so.

Sometimes we need to look back in order to see the road forward.

Whenever I reflect on the success of California's climate policies, I like to hop in my time machine and dial it all the way back to ancient history - circa 2010 - when I was a young staffer in Washington D.C. fresh out of grad school with big policy dreams and an even bigger student debt.

In an address to the California Senate on Thursday, the UN’s top climate change official praised California for its landmark climate legislation and the fact that it has been able to decouple its greenhouse gas emissions from its economic growth, and called on the state to mobilize similar leadership in other regions of the world.

The program's quarterly auctions of emissions allowances have gone on largely without a hitch. The program has fit in, as was expected, with other emissions reduction programs implemented under AB 32, the state's landmark greenhouse gas legislation, including mandates for renewable fuels sources for electrical utilities and emissions standards for new cars and trucks.

Continuing the state’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change, California lawmakers approved expansive legislation Wednesday that will require ambitious new renewable energy and pollution standards over the coming decades.

In the Senate, the effort was led by President Pro Tem Kevin de León and fellow Democrats, who touted the economic benefits of building a green economy.