Gov. Brown signs Garcia climate bill
Legislation by a local assemblyman to keep California’s signature initiative to fight global warming alive has been signed into law.
California Gov. Jerry Brown signed AB 398, a bill that will extend the state’s cap and trade system to 2030 and requires facilities that emit greenhouse gases to purchase emission permits to do so. The program was originally slated to expire in 2020.
Read: Cap & Trade bill bound for Governor’s desk
It’s a bill local Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella) has been spearheading to keep in place.
“Very honored to have worked in a bipartisan manner with Republican leader Chad Mayes,” Garcia said. “These two bills ensure that California’s climate change policies are reasonable when it comes to ensuring a future in renewable energy economies and at the same time that we’re focusing on people, improving the public health and well-being of those who live in California under some of the worst air quality conditions in the country.”
Garcia said the bill was able to lower taxes and at the same time expand a manufacturing tax credit to bring greater jobs to California.
Former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger joined Garcia and Brown at the ceremony, which was strategically staged at Treasure Island in San Francisco, the same location where he signed AB 32 (the original California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006) authorizing the state’s cap-and-trade program.
“Thanks to bipartisan support, California was able to extend its historic cap and trade program which protects our environment and preserves our nation-leading economic growth,” Schwarzenegger said. “Governor Brown and legislative leaders from both parties came together to ensure that California continues to march toward a clean, prosperous future.”
Sen. Jeff Stone, R-La Quinta, was among area Republican legislators who feel the bills will harm consumers in the long run by raising both taxes and gas prices.
“This package of bills is nothing more than a huge tax increase on California’s working families who will now have to choose between gasoline and food while making the coastal elites who fly around the world in their private jets talking about global warming feel good about themselves,” Stone said.
Stone also was among a number of Republicans who called for Assembly Minority Leader Chad Mayes, R-Yucca Valley to resign following his support of the cap and trade extension.
After AB 398 was approved by the Assembly and Senate last week, Stone said “Today is a sad day in California because taxpayers, environmentalist, and consumers all lost. Even worse, today was a day when nobody really won because this package won’t accomplish anything but will cost much.”
On Wednesday afternoon, Brown will assemble alongside Garcia and Assemblymember Cristina Garcia, D-Bell Gardens, at Bell Gardens for AB 617’s signing ceremony. AB 617 is a companion measure that would establish a program for reporting emissions and measuring air quality, while also increasing criminal and civil penalties against those who violate air pollution laws.
