SACRAMENTO – Governor Newsom signed Senator Josh Becker’s climate bills today, making the three key measures law that take effect January 1. These include the centerpiece of Senator Becker’s 2022 climate bill portfolio, Senate Bill 1203, which he announced at COP26 at Glasgow last year.
“When I announced this legislation at COP26 in Glasgow, it immediately resonated to have the State of California lead the way to net-zero in its own operations ahead of everyone else. Together, these measures will help California achieve our climate goals and will go far in demonstrating how our state leads the clean energy transformation,” said Senator Becker, the Peninsula Democrat who chairs the Senate Subcommittee on the Clean Energy Future and serves as vice chair of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Climate Change Policies.
The Governor and the Senate’s Climate Working Group proposed major measures this year to meet the urgent challenges of climate change, reduce California’s reliance on fossil fuels, make the grid more reliable, speed the transition to 100% clean energy, and make it possible for everyone to benefit from the transformation.
Three of Senator Becker’s bills – Senate Bill 1203, SB 1158 and SB 887 – were among the 12 in the Senate working group’s Climate Package. The Legislature passed all three bills and Senator Becker’s SB 1112. The Governor signed three of them today:
State of California Net Zero Operations
Senate Bill 1203, the centerpiece of Senator Becker’s 2022 climate portfolio, sets a target for all state agencies to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2035, effectively requiring the state to lead the transition to the clean energy future by example.
Clean Energy Reporting
SB 1158 improves the way retail electricity suppliers report critical information. This will provide California with a more accurate picture of when the grid runs on clean energy, when it uses fossil fuels, and how much. The data will help California manage its progress toward clean energy goals.
Transmission Acceleration
SB 887 will help California swiftly build the transmission needed to deliver the enormous amount of new clean energy resources that will enable our state to achieve its goal for zero-carbon electricity by 2045.
“Reducing greenhouse gas emissions isn't a straightforward task,” added Senator Becker. “That is why interim goals, like those proposed in my bills, are critical to creating the infrastructure and shifting the markets to a reality where we can actually make net-zero affordable and possible.”
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