SAN FRANCISCO – During the maiden voyage of the San Francisco Bay Area’s first plug-in hybrid electric ferry today, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. signed a comprehensive package of bills aimed at dramatically reducing carbon emissions by boosting the number of zero-emission vehicles and charging stations in California and getting dirty cars and trucks off the road.
“Whether we travel by car, bus, or boat the need to move to zero-emission transportation is urgent. These bills will help get more clean cars on the road and reduce harmful emissions,” said Governor Brown.
The signing – which took place aboard the Enhydra, a new hybrid electric ferry from the Red and White Fleet based in the San Francisco Bay, included 8 bills that aim to reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector, which currently accounts for approximately 50 percent of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions and about 80 percent of smog-forming pollutants.
Governor Brown signs legislation aboard hybrid electric ferry.
The bills signed by the Governor today include:
- AB 193 (Cervantes) creates the Zero-Emission Assurance Project, which will provide a rebate for the purchase of a replacement battery or fuel cell component for a used zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) for qualified consumers. This will build consumer confidence in the purchase of a used zero emission vehicle by providing additional assurance that replacement of a battery or fuel cell component will not impose a cost burden on low-income consumers.
- AB 2006 (Eggman) makes permanent an existing agricultural worker vanpool program, which will result in zero-emission and hybrid vans taking passenger vehicles off the road in communities most impacted by California’s poor air quality.
- AB 2127 (Ting) supports the state’s goal of achieving 5 million ZEVs on the road by 2030 by affirming the California Energy Commission’s authority to assess the need for charging infrastructure to support adoption of zero-emission vehicles, including freight and off‑road vehicles.
- AB 2885 (Rodriguez) continues the legislative priority of ensuring that California’s incentive programs serve all communities, by extending the requirement that the California Air Resources Board (CARB) conduct outreach to low-income households and communities as part of the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project. The bill also requires CARB to continue to prioritize rebates to low-income applicants until Jan 1, 2022.
- SB 957 (Lara) facilitates further growth of the used zero-emission vehicle market by opening carpool lanes to low-income drivers of used clean air vehicles.
- SB 1000 (Lara) requires the state to assess whether vehicle-charging infrastructure is sufficient to encourage the purchase of electric vehicles, and ensures that both plug-in electric vehicles and zero-emission vehicles have equal access to charging infrastructure. By increasing accessibility to electric vehicle charging infrastructure and managing the costs of electricity, SB 1000 will support the transportation electrification needed to meet California’s greenhouse gas and clean air goals.
- SB 1014 (Skinner) directs the state to develop emissions reduction targets for ride-hailing services, which represent a growing element of California’s transportation sector. This bill will help ensure that work the Governor has set into motion to increase adoption of zero-emission vehicles in public and private fleets throughout the state continues.
- SB 1403 (Lara) ensures that the state’s incentive dollars are invested strategically and are incentivizing the adoption of zero and near-zero emission heavy duty vehicles and equipment, including school buses. The bill requires CARB to develop three-year investment plans for these vehicles starting in 2019. It is critical that investments are prioritized – demand for the state’s incentive programs that support zero and near-zero emission heavy-duty vehicles and equipment vastly outstrips the resources available.
Today’s action builds on the state’s past efforts to boost zero-emission vehicles in California, including Governor Brown’s executive order earlier this year to get 5 million zero-emission vehicles onto California’s roads by 2030 and the state’s Zero-Emission Vehicle Action Plan.
Governor Brown tonight also signed other climate-related bills that help low-income communities impacted by pollution, advance zero net energy buildings, fight dangerous gases in refrigerants, and increase penalties for heavily polluting glider kits – trucks with older, higher-polluting engines installed.
These bills include:
- AB 2195 (Chau) will help the public access information regarding the greenhouse gas emissions from gas leakage and flaring resulting from natural gas imported into and consumed in California.
- AB 2564 (Rodriguez) will help protect communities from the increased pollution associated with glider kits. With pending federal threats regarding leniencies related to glider kits, this bill sets a high, non-negotiable penalty amount for operating non-compliant glider kits in the state. Diesel particulate matter emissions from glider kits can be up to 450 times higher than emissions from trucks that are complying with the state’s regulations. This bill sends a strong message that dirty glider kits are not welcome in California.
- AB 3232 (Friedman) directs state agencies to work together to assess what actions should be taken to reduce emissions from the state’s residential and commercial buildings, recognizing the important work needed to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions from the building sector.
- SB 720 (Allen) builds upon California’s commitment to environmental literacy by updating CalRecycle’s environmental principles and concepts to formally include climate change and ensures that the Instructional Quality Commission integrates these environmental principles into future curriculum.
- SB 1013 (Lara) in the face of federal reversals, this bill provides a critical backstop to ensure California does not backslide on emissions of hydrofluorocarbons and achieves its short-lived climate pollutant reduction goals. The bill also creates the Fluorinated Gases Emission Reduction Incentive Program to promote the adoption of low‑global warming potential refrigerants.
- SB 1016 (Allen) prohibits homeowner associations from unreasonably restricting an owner’s ability to install or use an electric vehicle time-of-use meter and modifies current liability policies.
- SB 1072 (Leyva) establishes a regional climate collaborative program to assist under‑resourced communities with accessing statewide public and other grant money for climate change mitigation and adaptation‑related projects. The bill also requires the Strategic Growth Council to develop technical assistance best practices that state agencies may use and identify state grants that could benefit from technical assistance best practices.
- SB 1477 (Stern) The quantity of greenhouse gas emissions associated with buildings is second only to greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector. This bill establishes two incentive programs aimed at reducing emissions from buildings – one to provide financial incentives for the deployment of near-zero emission building technologies and a second to incentivize the installment of low‑emission space and water heating equipment for new and existing buildings.
For full text of the bills signed today, visit: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
More information about tonight’s voyage can be found here.
On the first full day of the Global Climate Action Summit, Governor Brown also joined a ministerial dialogue hosted by the U.S. Climate Alliance to facilitate bilateral engagement between an international array of heads of state, senior officials from U.S. Climate Alliance states and other climate leaders.
The participants in today’s ministerial dialogue included: European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Cañete; Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change Catherine McKenna; China’s Special Representative for Climate Change Minister Xie Zhenhua; Ethiopia’s Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Gemedo Dalle; Germany’s Director General of the Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety Karsten Sach; President of Hungary János Áder; Ireland’s Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Energy Denis Naughten; Italy’s Director General for Sustainable Development, Energy and Climate Francesco La Camera; Republic of the Marshall Islands’ Minister-in-Assistance to the President and Environment Minister David Paul; Mexico’s Deputy Minister for International Affairs Enrique Lendo Fuentes; New Zealand’s Minister for Climate Change James Shaw; Norway’s Junior Minister of Climate and Environment Astrid Knutsen Hårstad; Sweden’s State Secretary Eva Svedling; Netherlands’ State Secretary for Infrastructure and Water Management Stientje van Veldhoven; New York’s Chairman of Energy and Finance Richard Kauffman; UN Foundation Deputy Chief Executive Officer Elizabeth Cousens; UK Foreign Secretary’s Special Representative on Climate Nick Bridge; Ukraine’s Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Ostap Semerak; Peru’s Minister of Environment Fabiola Martha Muñoz Dodero; Washington Governor Jay Inslee; and senior officials from the U.S. Climate Alliance states of Minnesota, Vermont, Oregon and Colorado.
Governor Brown speaks at U.S. Climate Alliance ministerial dialogue.
Governor Brown speaks at U.S. Climate Alliance ministerial dialogue.
In addition, Governor Brown met with Minister McKenna, Deputy Minister Lendo, Governor Inslee and Governor David Ige of Hawaii to finalize areas for cooperation first outlined in Bonn last year with the launch the North American Climate Leadership Dialogue. The leaders today discussed near-term priorities for ambitious climate action across the region and will develop a framework for implementation in the coming months. California has partnered extensively with its neighbors to combat climate change, including the addition of Mexico and Canada to the Under2 Coalition last year, the linkage of the California and Quebec cap-and-trade programs in 2014 and partnerships between California and other Pacific Coast states on a range of issues, including to oppose expanded offshore drilling.
Left to right: Governor Brown, Deputy Minister Lendo, Governor Ige, Governor Inslee and Minister McKenna.
Earlier in the day, Governor Brown and fellow Summit co-chair and America’s Pledge co-founder Michael Bloomberg released a new report quantifying non-federal action in the U.S. to drive down greenhouse gas emissions, and Governor Brown joined fellow U.S. Climate Alliance governors to announce ambitious new commitments by the coalition. Governor Brown and Commissioner Cañete also reiterated their commitment to greater alignment of California and EU carbon markets and to engage other jurisdictions with emerging programs, building on last year’s meeting between the leaders in Brussels.
Yesterday, Governor Brown welcomed China’s delegation to the Summit, signing an agreement to enhance climate and clean energy cooperation, meeting with the Vice Governor of Jiangsu Province and joining leaders, including former Vice President Al Gore, for a U.S.-China subnational climate dialogue. Governor Brown also addressed the Under2 Coalition General Assembly and joined a signing ceremony for 16 new members; participated in an event to support the Talanoa Dialogue, led by the Prime Minister of Fiji Frank Bainimarama; and met with C40 Steering Committee members at San Francisco City Hall.
On Tuesday, Governor Brown highlighted the importance of California’s landmark cap-and-trade program at an event co-hosted by the by the European Commission, Canada and California, during which he blasted the Trump Administration’s proposal to roll back methane regulation; met with Minister Xie to discuss the China delegation’s leading role at the Summit; held discussions with Governors’ Climate and Forests Task Force members and indigenous community leaders; and delivered remarks at the National Governors Association’s Water Policy Institute conference. Earlier this week, Governor Brown signed legislation setting a 100 percent clean electricity goal for the state, and issued an executive order establishing a new target to achieve carbon neutrality – both by 2045. Late last week, Governor Brown also signed legislation to block new federal offshore oil drilling along California’s coast and announced the state’s opposition to the federal government’s plan to expand oil drilling on public lands in California.
California’s Leadership on Climate Change
California continues to lead the world in adopting innovative policies to fight climate change. Last week, the Governor issued an executive order to safeguard California’s unique plants, animals and ecosystems that are threatened by climate change and last month, the state released its Fourth Climate Change Assessment, which details new research on the impacts of climate change and provides planning tools to support the state’s response.
Earlier this year Governor Brown issued executive orders to improve the health of the state’s forests and help mitigate the threat and impacts of wildfire, and get 5 million zero-emission vehicles onto California’s roads by 2030. Last year, the Governor signed landmark legislation to extend and strengthen the state’s cap-and-trade program and create a groundbreaking program to measure and combat air pollution at the neighborhood level.
Under Governor Brown, California has established the most ambitious greenhouse gas emission reduction targets in North America; set the nation’s toughest restrictions on destructive super pollutants; and will reduce fossil fuel consumption up to 50 percent and double the rate of energy efficiency savings in buildings by 2030. The state has met its 2020 target four years early, reducing emissions 13 percent while growing the economy 26 percent. From 2015 to 2016 alone, emissions reductions were roughly equal to taking 2.4 million cars off the road, saving 1.5 billion gallons of gasoline and diesel fuel.
In addition, Governor Brown has helped establish and expand coalitions of partners across the nation and globe committed to curbing carbon pollution, including the Under2 Coalition, which this week grew to include 222 total jurisdictions on 6 continents, representing more than 1.3 billion people and $34 trillion in GDP – equivalent to 17 percent of the global population and 43 percent of the global economy. Members of the coalition make a number of key commitments, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 80 to 95 percent below 1990 levels or to less than 2 annual metric tons per capita by 2050.
California and 17 other states collectively representing more than 40 percent of the U.S. car market sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency earlier this year to preserve the nation’s uniform vehicle emission standards that save drivers money at the pump, cut oil consumption, reduce air pollution and curb greenhouse gases.
Photo Credit: Joe McHugh, California Highway Patrol. For high resolution copies of these photos, please contact Danella Debel, Office of the Governor, at Danella.Debel@gov.ca.gov.
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