Press Release
August 26, 2021

Call for Full Senate to Confront Big Oil and Accelerate Transition Away from Fossil Fuel As Wildfires Rage, Drought Threatens Californians

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Stefanie Lao, 424-282-0922, [email protected]

SACRAMENTO, CA – The California Environmental Voters (EnviroVoters) today applauded the Senate Appropriations Committee’s passage of AB 1395 (Muratsuchi), a crucial bill to protect the climate by curbing California’s reliance on dirty fossil fuels, and called for passage of the bill on the Senate floor without delay. AB 1395 would accelerate California’s progress to become carbon neutral by requiring steep reductions in greenhouse gas emissions (90% below 1990 levels by 2045).

The Senate Appropriations Committee’s action to advance AB 1395 to the Senate Floor comes on the heels of EnrivoVoters’ new “Climate Courage” campaign, which includes a mobile billboard outside of the State Capitol building calling on Senate leaders – Senate Pro Tem Toni Atkins, Senate Majority Leader Robert Hertzberg, and Senate Energy Chair Ben Hueso – to show “Climate Courage” and take swift action to pass AB 1395 and other crucial climate action legislation.

“Our message was heard loud and clear: Don’t let California go up in smoke!,” said Mary Creasman, EnviroVoters CEO. “AB 1395’s movement to the Senate Floor is an important turnaround in the final weeks of the legislative session. This important climate protection legislation has overcome a major hurdle, and Senate leadership must continue to show Climate Courage by standing up to Big Oil interests as the bill goes to the Senate Floor. ”

After Senate leadership held or delayed votes on major environmental protection measures this year, passing AB 1395 takes on even greater importance as Californians grapple with record-breaking wildfires and drought, and scientists warn time is running out to avert even greater climate and humanitarian catastrophe.

“AB 1395 is a crucial pillar of our climate action agenda and broader approach to drastically reduce toxic levels of greenhouse gasses and scale back our dependency on dirty fossil fuels, but the Senate can and must do more to protect the quality of the water we drink and the air we breathe, the safety of our homes from wildfires, and the health of our food and energy supply,” said Creasman. “Further legislative action is needed in the areas of building decarbonization, corporate accountability, and completely transitioning to a clean energy economy to protect Californians from climate catastrophe.”

California Environmental Voters (formerly the California League of Conservation Voters) believes the climate crisis is here and this moment requires transformative change. California has the policy solutions to stop climate change but lacks the political will to do it at the rate and scale that’s necessary. EnviroVoters exists to build the political power to solve the climate crisis, advance justice, and create a roadmap for global action. We organize voters, elect and train candidates, and hold lawmakers accountable for bold policy change. We won’t stop until we have resilient, healthy, thriving communities, and a democracy and economy that is just and sustainable for all. Join us at www.envirovoters.org and on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. See more press releases.

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