Lawmakers Pass EDF Priority Bills for More Equitable, Efficient Climate Action

SACRAMENTO, August 31, 2024 – As California’s 2024 Legislative session comes to a close, Environmental Defense Fund applauds state lawmakers for sending four key bills to Governor Gavin Newsom. These bills recognize Tribal sovereignty over cultural burning practices, control ratepayer costs in the transition to clean energy, smarter planning for the clean energy transition, and ensure vulnerable communities and wetlands have safe, affordable groundwater. Newsom has until September 30 to act on these measures.

“California has made bold commitments to confront climate change and environmental injustice,” said Katelyn Roedner Sutter, EDF California State Director. “By signing these bills, Governor Newsom can help ensure California has the needed policy in place to make those commitments reality.”

RECOGNIZING TRIBAL SOVEREIGNTY OVER CULTURAL BURNING PRACTICES 

For millennia tribes across California practiced cultural burning, using small fires to create biodiverse, healthy, and resilient landscapes before it was criminalized in 1850 by the Act for the Government and Protection of Indians. SB 310, by Senator Bill Dodd (D-Napa), would formally recognize Tribal sovereignty with respect to cultural burning practices. The bill reinstates this right by authorizing the Secretary of Natural Resources to enter into agreements with federally recognized tribes – as sovereign nations – to conduct cultural burn operations without permits for every individual application of fire to a landscape. 

“Generations of forest management practices emphasizing fire suppression have enabled our forests to become overgrown and more vulnerable to drought and pests. Our changing climate amplifies the risk of these conditions igniting into catastrophic wildfires, which has prompted California to embrace preventive burning as a proven solution for forest health,” said Roedner Sutter. “By signing this bill Governor Newsom has a chance to right a wrong of history and reduce our vulnerability to bigger and more destructive wildfires by authorizing cultural burns responsibly.” 

CONTROLLING RATEPAYER COSTS IN THE TRANSITION TO CLEAN ENERGY 

“California has committed to building a clean energy economy. Meeting this goal and supporting increased zero-emission energy demand requires more clean energy generation and more transmission to move clean energy around the state where it’s needed,” said Roedner Sutter. “As we build the clean energy future, it is crucial to pursue funding strategies that ensure clean energy is affordable to all Californians.”

AB 3264, by Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Irvine) and Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister),  directs the Public Utilities Commission to provide detailed data on the effectiveness of California's numerous energy efficiency programs, many of which have been in place since the 1970s. This will enable the state to determine which programs should continue, be retired, or be restructured. The bill also creates a framework to track and analyze total annual energy costs for California families, and requires further study of options for funding necessary clean energy infrastructure to limit additional burden on ratepayers.

SMARTER PLANNING FOR THE CLEAN ENERGY TRANSITION

Gas utilities are investing heavily in aging pipeline replacements while California transitions to clean energy. This contradictory approach could lead to a 900% bill increase by 2050 for remaining gas customers, as fewer users bear the cost of underutilized pipelines. 

SB 1221, by Senator Dave Min (D-Irvine), enables the Public Utilities Commission to approve up to 30 cost-saving pilot projects that avoid expensive gas pipeline investments. These pilot projects would help unlock new funding to accelerate the transition away from natural gas to cleaner, healthier alternatives, support investment in vulnerable communities, and lower utility bills for all customers.

“This is an important step toward an affordable, equitable and reliable transition away from expensive and unhealthy natural gas in our homes and businesses. California has committed to a zero-emission energy future, which means we need to consider new models to ensure all of us have access to clean, safe and affordable energy and not simply continue committing ratepayers to decades of costs for new and expensive gas pipelines.” 

ENSURING VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES AND WETLANDS HAVE SAFE, AFFORDABLE GROUNDWATER

AB 828 by Assembly Member Damon Connolly (D - San Rafael) will help protect small community water systems and managed wetlands from pumping reductions and fines under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act to ensure that vulnerable communities and wildlife have safe and affordable water supplies.

“AB 828 is a thoughtful approach to protect safe and clean water accessibility for all California communities and safeguard our dwindling managed wetland acreage while the state implements essential measures for sustainable, long-term management of the state’s groundwater.”

Small community water systems in disadvantaged communities are especially vulnerable to

drought and over-pumping by neighboring water users. They are also often faced with affordability challenges to accessing water. Managed wetlands are of special concern because California has lost over 90% of its historic wetlands, resulting in steep population declines of migratory birds on the Pacific Flyway.