THE NET-ZERO BLOG
Climate policy analysis and updates from Sacramento
Big wins, notable losses in turbulent end to California’s legislative session
A nation-leading data center policy, targeted grid reforms, and new biomass innovation parks headline the wins. A collapsed wildfire negotiation resulted in a missed opportunity to establish a multi-billion-dollar mitigation fund, while efforts to manage the state’s transition away from gasoline also fell short. The next Governor will need to confront multiple energy transition challenges to keep the state’s climate goals within reach.
Will the Legislature take action on wildfire mitigation?
With less than two weeks remaining in the legislative session, wildfire reform is one of the biggest unresolved issues in Sacramento.
Wildfire reforms should reduce risk, not just redistribute costs
Catastrophic wildfires are at the heart of California's affordability crisis. Policymakers are considering reforms for how to manage these costs, with much of the debate focused on how they should be distributed. But changing who pays doesn't solve the more fundamental problem: how do we reduce the cost burden altogether?
California moves one step closer to landmark biomass policy
Yesterday, AB 1666 (Rogers) passed out of the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee, moving California one step closer to establishing its first-ever comprehensive statewide biomass policy framework. The bill passed out unanimously (7-0) with support from a broad coalition of environmental organizations, local and regional economic development groups, air pollution control districts, a Tribal government, and biomass technology developers. As the bill moves to Senate Appropriations, we highlight the opportunity to allocate available Proposition 4 funding to support its implementation.
SB 254 Catastrophe Resiliency study emphasizes need for new wildfire mitigation financing strategies
California’s escalating wildfire crisis poses multiple serious risks to the state. Recognizing the need for new approaches, the Legislature and Governor authorized a Catastrophe Resiliency study to evaluate policy options to reduce damages to life and property, accelerate post-disaster recovery, and improve the allocation of wildfire-related costs in California. In this blog, we summarize the report’s main findings before highlighting near-term opportunities to implement priority recommendations.
The troubled state of wildfire prevention in California
California is rapidly running out of time to address its wildfire crisis in wildlands and urban communities. The crux of the problem is that California remains locked into a largely reactive wildfire spending paradigm – one that prioritizes fighting fires, managing liability, and paying for losses after they occur, rather than investing in prevention to reduce risk upfront. In this blog, we summarize the current status of wildfire spending in California before identifying reforms that could generate new funding to increase the pace and scale of wildfire prevention.