Climate Change

Senate Democrats embraced new climate change goals Tuesday by adopting Gov. Jerry Brown's call to increase the use of renewable energy to 50 percent in 15 years and adding their own initiatives.

Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon and fellow Democrats said they want to increase statewide renewable electricity use to 50 percent, use half as much gasoline on the road, and make buildings twice as energy efficient by 2030.

One month after Gov. Jerry Brown proposed dramatically expanding California’s greenhouse gas reduction laws, Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León announced legislation Tuesday to enact the proposal.

In a move to blunt opposition from business interests and moderate Democrats, de León cast the package of environmental measures as a jobs program.

California lawmakers on Tuesday unveiled a sweeping package of bills that would boost the Golden State's reputation as a national leader in the battle against climate change.

If enacted, the legislation would in the decades ahead trigger fundamental shifts in the kind of cars Californians drive and the way they power their homes and businesses.

In a move that could shape California’s climate policies for decades to come, legislators on Tuesday introduced a series of bills that would slash oil use in half by 2050, mandate the use of renewable power for 50 percent of the state’s electricity and force California’s massive public retirement funds to dump coal company stocks.

Several members from the California State Senate introduced a package of legislative proposals Tuesday intended to strengthen California’s leadership in powering a new clean-energy economy. The proposals include historic benchmarks for pollution reduction, energy efficiency, and petroleum use that will spur innovation and investment and maintain California’s lead in creating jobs in the advanced energy sector. This will be the first series of bills introduced by Senate Democrats to combat climate change and preserve the environment.