California Lawmakers Boost Climate Change Bills (Sacramento Bee)
Continuing the state’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change, California lawmakers approved expansive legislation Wednesday that will require ambitious new renewable energy and pollution standards over the coming decades.
In the Senate, the effort was led by President Pro Tem Kevin de León and fellow Democrats, who touted the economic benefits of building a green economy.
The bills approved Wednesday are only halfway through the legislative process and must survive more hearings and votes over the summer. But with Democrats in control and several major proposals echoing the sweeping climate goals Gov. Jerry Brown announced at his inauguration in January, the outcome seems hardly in doubt.
Senate Bill 350, by de Léon, would require the state to generate 50 percent of electricity from renewable sources, halve the amount of petroleum used by vehicles, and double the energy efficiency of existing buildings by 2030. Assembly Bill 645 mirrored the Senate measure in compelling California to derive half of its energy from renewable sources by 2030.
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