Fresno Bee reporter John Ellis on the signing of landmark climate change bills by Governor Brown today in Fresno. Ellis spoke with PA’s Chelsea Tu about benefits to low-income communities in the bills.
Gov. Jerry Brown signs package of climate-change bills in Fresno
By John Ellis
A group of state lawmakers, guests and reporters gathered atop the spiral parking garage in downtown Fresno Wednesday morning to watch Gov. Jerry Brown sign a package of bills intended to help disadvantaged communities fight climate change and help Sierra communities dispose of dead trees killed in the mass die-off from drought and bark beetles.
The legislation directs $900 million in cap-and-trade funds to greenhouse gas-reducing programs that benefit disadvantaged communities, support clean transportation and protect natural ecosystems, the governor’s office said.
Two of the bills – AB 1613 and SB 859 – detail how the $900 million in cap-and-trade funds will be spent, including a plan to produce more biomass energy from California’s tree mortality epidemic in the Sierra Nevada. SB 859 also would aid programs aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from farms and dairies.
Two other bills – AB 1550 and AB 2722 – will direct more of the cap-and-trade funds to benefit disadvantaged communities.
In remarks just before the signing, Brown said the bills will help clean up the air and ensure that places like the San Joaquin Valley remain liveable into the future.
“All that’s good for people – rich and poor alike,” he said.
Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula, an emergency room doctor who represents a large portion of Fresno County, spoke just before introducing Brown. He said the bill package ensures funds will be available where they can have the greatest impact.
“Today we turn the tide,” Arambula said. “Today we invest in the communities that need it the most.”
Chelsea Tu, a staff attorney with Public Advocates, a nonprofit anti-poverty law firm, praised the legislation, saying it would pair greenhouse gas reduction money with disadvantaged communities.
The city of Fresno gave Brown’s office options for where to hold the bill signing ceremony. He chose the spiral garage downtown overlooking the Fulton Mall rebirth as street. Still, on an unseasonably cool morning, Brown was left to shield his balding head from the sun with a sheaf of paper. He turned aside an offer of a hat.
This story will be updated.
