CA closer to creating equal climate protection with real community benefits

Today, the California State Senate Appropriations Committee cleared groundbreaking legislation that would ensure equal protection from California’s climate crisis. AB 1405: Community Benefits Fund would establish a climate protection fund to help the Californians who are least able to confront the expected impacts of the climate crisis at the local level. The bill directs 30 percent of the revenues generated from AB 32 (Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, D-Nuñez) for local neighborhoods to invest in cleaning up unhealthy air quality. The bill now heads to the Senate floor for a vote before reaching the governor.

In adopting AB 32, California made a promise to ensure that low-income and minority communities are protected from and strengthened by efforts to tackle the climate crisis. However, the California Air Resources Board has yet to fulfill this promise.

As California takes steps to solve our climate crisis, “we must invest in the California neighborhoods that have suffered the most from pollution and will struggle the most with the consequences from this crisis,” said Nidia Bautista, policy director at the Coalition for Clean Air. “AB 1405 ensures every Californian’s right to breathe clean air—regardless of their zip code.”

Read our op-ed published on August 20, 2009, in Capitol Weekly.

Learn more about AB 1405 and AB 32

If you believe that every Californian deserves equal protection from the California climate crisis, stay tuned for upcoming ways to take action.