The
California Assembly recently approved Senate Bill 32, which extends until 2030
the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 signed by Governor Schwarzenegger. SB
32 will continue to support "climate smart" agriculture as well as energy
efficiency, renewables, and other ways to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions.
Without extension of this law,
the future for such programs as the Healthy Soils Initiative, the State Water
Efficiency and Enhancement Program, the Sustainable Agricultural Lands
Conservation Program, and the Dairy Methane Program was in doubt--
all important programs for farmers
in Fresno County and the Central Valley.
Another historic piece of climate legislation,
Assembly Joint Resolution 43, was recently passed by our California legislature. It asks Congress to place a fee on carbon fuels and return the money
to U.S. households. Similar
policies in British Columbia and elsewhere have shown that a “revenue-neutral”
program encourages individuals and businesses to adopt cleaner energy
use.
Regrettably, neither of my Republican
representatives in the California Senate or Assembly voted for either bill. I
look forward to the day when climate change legislation can again be a
bipartisan achievement.
Ruth Afifi
August 2016
unpublished
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