SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today issued the following statement after sharing urgent proposals addressing climate change with the state Legislature.
“Cleaning the air we breathe. Protecting our communities from the harmful impacts of the oil industry. Accelerating California’s clean energy future. Each of these actions on their own are monumental steps to tackling the climate crisis – but California isn’t waiting a minute longer to get them done. We’re taking all of these major actions now in the most aggressive push on climate this state has ever seen because later is too late. Together with the Legislature’s leadership, the progress we make on the climate crisis this year will be felt for generations – and the impact will spread far beyond our borders. California will continue blazing a trail for America and the rest of the world on the swift and meaningful actions necessary for cutting carbon pollution, protecting communities and leading the clean energy future.”
The Governor’s climate proposals include:
- Codifying statewide carbon neutrality goal to dramatically reduce climate pollution
- Establishes a clear, legally binding, and achievable goal for California to achieve statewide carbon neutrality as soon as possible, and no later than 2045.
- Ramping up our 2030 climate ambition
- Adopts a more aggressive 2030 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target – going from 40% to 55% below the 1990 level.
- Protecting communities from the harmful impacts of the oil industry
- Establishes a setback distance of 3,200 feet between any new oil well and homes, schools, or parks.
- Ensures comprehensive pollution controls for existing oil wells within 3,200 feet of these facilities.
- Establishing pathway toward state’s clean energy future
- Creates clean electricity targets of 90% by 2035 and 95% by 2040 with the intent of advancing the state’s trajectory to the existing 100% clean electricity retail sales by 2045 goal.
- Advancing natural and engineered technologies to remove carbon pollution
- Establishes a clear regulatory framework for carbon removal and carbon capture, utilization and sequestration.
- Requires the state to develop an achievable carbon removal target for natural and working lands.
Earlier today, Governor Newsom joined the Governors of New York and Washington in applauding the House after it passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes $369 billion in funding to tackle the climate crisis and secure America’s energy future.