Gov. Brown Signs California Climate Change Bill

The law, signed Wednesday by Gov. Jerry Brown, accelerates California’s shift away from fossil fuels as its dominant source of energy and marks another milestone in the state’s fight against climate change.

Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation that will allow terminally ill Californians to obtain medication to aid in dying, making California the fifth state to permit patients to terminate their lives. In a statement, the group said policymakers should have first thought about how the law will affect the disadvantaged – not the well-connected, like Brown. By 2030, California is set to use renewable energy for almost half its electricity.

The bill also requires a doubling of energy efficiency in buildings by 2030.

Just one day before signing the appointment-granting bill, Brown said at a signing ceremony for other climate change legislation, “I love the Legislature, but I don’t want to entrust you with too much power, at least on a daily basis”. Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, a Los Angeles Democrat, embraced the governor’s goals when he introduced SB350. “We fully support a more efficient energy market in the West. This would let California trade energy surpluses and deficits with its neighbors in a way that maximizes wind energy’s low-priced benefits for California consumers”.

“The crux of the matter is whether the state of California should continue to make it a crime for a dying person to end his life”, Brown said, “no matter how great his pain and suffering”.

The state’s previous goal to reach 33% renewable energy had sparked a solar and wind farm construction boom. Last year, 105 people took their own lives with the help of a doctor in the state.

Even with the elimination of the gasoline provision, the legislation was still met with opposition by Republicans, who said the measure will damage the state’s economy.

There is, deep within the text of SB 350, “a full codification of the 2030 and 2050 climate targets” which oil industry lobbyists pushed lawmakers to remove from the bill, according to Capitol Weekly. Weisenmiller said California was showing that GHG emissions can be cut while creating jobs and providing energy in “a safe, reliable and cost-effective” way, along with opening the door to spreading renewables on a wider regional basis. California ranks as the nation’s third largest oil producing state, behind only Texas and North Dakota, and the industry counts staunch allies in both parties.

“PSR-LA is committed to continuing to work with the Governor, the Legislature, and the California Air Resources Board to make sure SB 350 is fully implemented”, said Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles (PSR-LA) Executive Director Martha Dina Argüello.