CALIFORNIA, USA — On Friday, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed multiple bills into law that proponents say should help mitigate climate change as well as protect public health.
California lawmakers passed the legislation in the final weeks of the 2021-22 session. Legislators say the new laws will “help the state move towards a healthier future powered by clean energy rather than fossil fuels.”
Governor Newsom says an essential piece of the California Climate Commitment, is a record $54 billion investment in climate action that "exceeds what most countries are spending and advances economic opportunity and environmental justice in communities across the state."
Over the next two decades, the California Climate Commitment will:
- Create 4 million new jobs
- Cut air pollution by 60%
- Reduce state oil consumption by 91%
- Save California $23 billion by avoiding the damages of pollution
- Reduce fossil fuel use in buildings and transportation by 92%
- Cut refinery pollution by 94%
Laura Deehan, Environment California State Director said, ““Today is a transformative day for California and the whole United States. We can turn the tide on climate change and ensure a better world for our kids and grandkids -- and with these new laws, California’s governor, state legislators and other leaders are offering a way forward.
“California is lighting the way to a bright future powered by renewable energy, including solar, wind and battery storage. The solutions are all around us. The sun sends more power to the earth in a single hour than the entire globe needs in a year. The winds blow so hard and so fast off our coast that offshore wind alone could more than meet our state’s energy needs. And thanks in no small part to California innovators, the technology to save energy, and catch the sun and the wind to power our lives, is already here!
“Governor Newsom’s bold call to action spurred legislators to create these laws, and we’re grateful to all those who supported them. We applaud them for accelerating our path to 100% clean electricity, protecting communities from pollution from oil drilling, and investing significantly in clean cars, trucks and buses.
“While these new laws are like breaths of cool air, the work isn’t done. The next heat wave will come. But California will be better prepared to beat the heat because of the action taken today.”
At Friday’s bill signing, the governor spoke on how California’s newest budget has over $50 billion earmarked for clean cars, trucks, buses and clean energy.
WATCH RELATED: Newsom hands lawmakers urgent climate agenda weeks before session ends