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Old Baldy, Canada | photo by Cameron Schaus
Politics and Issues

Club working for passage of environmental bills in State Legislature

June 2010

The Sierra Club has prioritized six bills which have passed the Assembly and are in the Senate and four bills which have passed the Senate and are in the Assembly. Deadline for passage is August 31. If you attend the Club’s Lobby Day in Sacramento, these are the bills we will be working on. If you are unable to come to Sacramento, please contact your legislators and express your support for these bills.

AB 1975 (Fong): Water Conservation
Would require the installation of meters and sub-meters on individual units in a newly constructed building for which the first occupancy permit is issued on or after January 1, 2012. Sub-metering ensures water users receive an appropriate signal regarding the volume and cost of their water use, providing incentives for responsible water use. This bill is sponsored by Sierra Club California.

AB 1947 (Fong): Solar Energy
Would allow publicly-owned utilities to use up to 1 megawatt worth of California Solar Initiative funds to build large solar systems within their service area, and provide their customers the opportunity to offset a part or all of their electricity needs with the power generated by these solar systems. Enactment of AB 1947 would result in more distributed solar power, new green jobs, and more equitable participation in the California Solar Innovations program.

AB 1998 (Brownley): Solid Waste: Single Use Carryout Bags
Would prohibit a store from providing a single use carryout bag to a customer after January 1, 2012. Stores would be required to make reusable bags available for purchase by the customer.

AB 2223 (Nava): Wildlife Protection
This bill would prohibit the use of toxic shot in state wildlife management areas. Lead shot is extremely toxic to wildlife. It can linger in the environment for years as a potent contaminant that harms the health of wildlife up and down the food chain.

AB 2289 (Eng): Smog Check Program Reform
Would save money for consumers and the state and reduce air pollution by 70 tons per day by enacting critical updates to California’s Smog Check program. Would implement on-board diagnostic testing for vehicle model years 2001 and newer and more stringent performance standards for facilities testing older, more polluting vehicles.

AB 2575 (Chesbro) : Salmon Protection
Would direct the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to implement a pilot project for the improved protection and repair of the riparian zone in watersheds with listed anadromous salmonids.

SB 1100 (Corbett): Battery Recycling
Would make the manufacturers of household batteries responsible for their collection and recycling, saving money for taxpayers and ratepayers.

SB 1157 (DeSaulnier): Toxic Pesticides in Schools
Would prohibit all public schools from using the most highly toxic pesticides on school property, with certain exceptions.

SB 1207 (Kehoe): Fire Planning
Would direct the Office of Planning and Research to update its general plan advice document relating to fire hazards and its CEQA guidelines to address wildfire risks. After 2015, cities and counties would have to update the safety element of their general plans to address risks of wildfire in state responsibility areas and Very High Hazard Fire Severity Zones. Given the crushing expense of defending fires in developed wildland boundary areas, this planning is necessary to manage risks to people, property, and forest ecosystems appropriately.

SB 1445 (Desaulnier): Reducing Vehicular Emissions
Would provide much needed planning funds to help local transportation planning agencies complete their strategic plans to move people efficiently while reducing greenhouse gas emissions from cars and light trucks. The funds would come from a $1 increase in the vehicle license fee.