As climate budget negotiations continue into summer, California needs a bold multi-year plan backed by more funding to credibly ensure victory in the climate fight
Governor’s commitment to resolve concerns with the energy trailer bill brings relief since the bill deepens our dependency on fossil fuels and widens inequality
CONTACT: Veda Banerjee, (510) 844-0229
(SACRAMENTO, CA) – Mary Creasman, CEO at California Environmental Voters (EnviroVoters), released the following statement in response to Governor Gavin Newsom’s signature of the state budget, which includes $21 billion for climate and energy, and the energy budget trailer bill. She expressed relief over the governor’s commitment to resolve key concerns about how the trailer bill increases California’s reliability on old, dirty power plants, eliminates environmental review of increased fossil fuel dependency, and scraps public opportunities to fight back.
“This climate budget outline signed today begins to get at the scale of investment needed to protect Californians from drought, extreme heat, wildfires, and pollution. But the devil is in the details, and voters deserve transparency and clarity on timing and details of this climate funding: what’s being counted, when the funding will be allocated, and what programs are being funded. The governor and legislature still have a chance to truly double down on the climate crisis as the legislature reconvenes in August. Our leaders need to increase these numbers and craft a multi-year commitment that will save our future. Today’s Supreme Court ruling limiting the federal government’s authority to fight climate change shows just how critical state leadership and action will be in the climate fight.
“In addition, we should all be watching and holding our leaders accountable to addressing the deeply troubling changes to California’s energy policy signed today; the Governor’s commitment to resolve our concerns before the end of August is promising. Various lawmakers cited this commitment as a condition for their votes, and we look forward to working with them and the administration to craft strong guardrails for how our power supply relies on more polluting power when under stress. California must clearly prioritize clean energy development first, ensure environmental review, and protect public engagement in the prolonged use of old fossil fuel plants that should otherwise be shuttered. Absent these changes, this bill jeopardizes our climate fight by deepening our dependency on fossil fuels and widening inequality by silencing frontline communities of color forced to endure even more pollution.”
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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.
