All five of CIPL’s priority bills have passed their house of origin, committees in the other chamber, and are now in Appropriations. Read below for more information on these bills and the active day in Sacramento on June 21. We continue our efforts with our partners to bring our priorities across the finish line!

Update: June 23, 2023

Last week, California Interfaith Power & Light brought 23 faith advocates from the Central Valley, Los Angeles, the Bay Area, and Sacramento area, and encouraged Senate and Assembly members to support crucial environmental justice and climate-friendly legislation. Five groups were formed and attended seven meetings each. The groups’ nicknames gave a sense of purpose to our day: “Starshine”, “Brilliance”, “Sunshine”, “Illumination”, and “Sunrise.”

Our priority legislation included: AB 579 (Ting), establishing 100% of school buses be electric by 2035; AB 631 (Hart), giving the California Department of Geologic Energy Management more legal mechanisms to enforce oil and gas drilling violations; SB 49 (Becker), calling for renewable energy to be widely expanded in business carports and highways; SB 233 (Skinner), instituting a study of and goal of 2030 for EVs to have bidirectional charging; SB 674 (Gonzalez), extending monitoring of, and real-time public notification of emissions from refineries; and a climate bond emphasizing natural resource protections, transportation electrification, and healthy funding to respond to extreme heat.

Prior to the meetings, two briefing were held. One was a policy update event on June 15 in which office staff from Sen. Gonzalez, Sen. Skinner and Assemblymember Hart provided the latest info on their bills, good talking points, and challenges. The other was the morning briefing on June 21, in which Katelyn Roedner Sutter of Environmental Defense, Dan Jacobsen from Environment California, and Allis Druffel spoke on a Climate Bond, SB 49 and AB 579 respectively. The faith advocates, some of whom were well trained on policy, asked excellent questions. Armed with our fact sheets, good talking points and the faith mandate to care for all Creation, we headed to our meetings.

We all had a very good impression of 1021 O Street, the temporary building that houses legislators and their staff while the historical Capitol is being renovated. Despite individual offices not having much meeting space, there was enough space on each floor with tables, chairs, and couches to hold engaging and meaningful discussions.

Some legislative offices were supportive of the bills, others not so much. In a debrief after the meetings, faith advocates knew one thing to be true: even in meetings that were difficult or in which we didn’t feel “heard”, it is crucial that the faith principles of loving our neighbor, fighting for racial and environmental justice, and protecting Earth be overtly proclaimed in the political sphere. One staff member encouraged our action forward with this comment: ‘Faith has been an important part of my life ever since I was a kid. Your efforts make my job easier.’

CIPL and the faith community will watch carefully as these bills move through their assigned committees and onto the Floor for votes. We’ll keep you updated as this process moves forward, including any actions needed.

We’d like to thank several organizational partners who sent faith advocates and/or helped to finance advocates for their travel, including Temple Isaiah Green Team of Los Angeles, St. John’s Lutheran Church of Sacramento, Catholic Charities of Stockton, Wattskanda and Watts Clean Air and Energy Committee of Los Angeles, Lutheran Office of Public Policy, Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County, Environmental Defense Fund, and the Immaculate Heart Community. As the saying goes, “Teamwork makes the dream work!”

 

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CIPL is excited to announce our 2023 state legislate priorities! They highlight issues that we have been working on for years, including protection for frontline communities, the growth of renewable energy, and equity in clean transportation. See our six priority bills below.

And, we’re excited to invite you to our Advocacy Day in Sacramento on June 21st!

This day is designed for those new to the process and returning advocates alike. We’ll guide you through every step of the process, beginning with a morning briefing and overview of the day. You’ll then be paired up with seasoned climate justice advocates who will support you and other constituents through legislative meetings.

As people of faith and conscience, we believe in the moral responsibility to uplift the dignity and worth of all people, and to care for our sacred Earth. Join us at the State Capital to do just that! Contact Allis at allis@interfaithpower.org for more information.

Here are six priority bills:

SB 233 – Bidirectional Charging Capabilities by 2030 on cars

During extreme weather events and power outages, batteries in California’s EVs can also support critical electricity needs in homes, businesses and public facilities. Deployed in this manner, California’s transportation electrification can support enhanced grid resilience and reliability.

SB 674 – Air pollution: refineries: community air monitoring systems: fence-line monitoring systems

This bill will create a statewide standard for the refinery fence-line monitoring program to ensure that adequate noxious pollutants are measured, and that best practices and technologies are deployed in order to better protect the health and wellbeing of the surrounding communities.

SB 49 – Energy Renewable energy: Department of Transportation strategic plan

This bill would require the department, in coordination with the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission and the Public Utilities Commission, to develop a strategic plan to lease and license department-owned rights-of-way to public utilities or other entities to build and operate renewable energy generation facilities, energy storage facilities connected to renewable energy generation facilities, and electrical transmission facilities, as specified.

AB 579 – Electric School Buses by 2035

Requires that all purchases of new school buses be zero emission by 2035 and extends the maximum length of transportation service and leasing contracts for zero emission buses. AB 579 is a timely and thoughtful approach to building a healthier future for our next generation.”

AB 631 – Oil Enforcement and Community Protection

Increases civil and other penalties for violations of the state’s governing oil and gas statutes and regulations, and strengthens the Geologic Energy Management Division’s (CalGEM) authority to seek injunctive relief, cease and desist specified activities, and recoup administrative and enforcement costs.