These good environmental bills have passed out of the California legislature and are now on the Governor’s desk. Now is the time to contact Governor Newsom and urge him to sign these bills into law.
AB2236 (Bauer-Kahan) Solid waste: reusable grocery bags: standards: plastic film prohibition
- This bill would eliminate the exemption of thicker plastic film bags from the state’s single-use bag ban, provide eligibility requirements for bags distributed or sold in stores, and permit only recycled paper bags to be sold at the point-of-sale.
SB1053 (Blakespear) Solid waste: recycled paper bags: standards: carryout bag prohibition
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Eliminate plastic film carryout bags from grocery store distribution and increase the recycling of paper carryout bags. Reduce the proliferation of plastic pollution by eliminating the existing provision of law that allows plastic film carryout bags to be distributed as reusable bags under the state’s bag ban.
AB1889 (Friedman) Room to Roam Act
- According to Los Padres ForestWatch, “The Room to Roam Act, aims to protect California’s wildlife by encouraging local governments to include wildlife connectivity in their land use planning. This helps prevent habitat fragmentation caused by development, which threatens species like mountain lions and bears. While some local policies exist, this Act seeks statewide implementation to ensure comprehensive protection of wildlife corridors, benefiting the state’s biodiversity and providing long term protection for wildlife.”
SB1304 (Limon) Protect drinking water from oil and gas contamination
- Mandates that the State Water Resources Control Board conduct an environmental assessment of proposed aquifer exemptions under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). It requires at least one public hearing during this assessment process.
AB1866 (Hart) Idle oil well clean-up
- Requires oil operators to develop a comprehensive plan to urgently plug the estimated 40,000 idle oil wells in California, and requires operators to prioritize wells that pose a threat to life, health, property or natural resources.
AB3233 (Addis) Protect the right of local governments to regulate and phase out oil and gas operations in their jurisdictions