SACRAMENTO
McGuire’s Offshore Wind Expediting Act passes first committee with bipartisan support
Senate Majority Leader Mike McGuire’s ground-breaking legislation to expedite offshore wind development to help meet the Golden State’s long-term electricity demand and extraordinary climate goals passed Tuesday with bipartisan support in the Senate Natural Resources Committee.
“If we’re serious about bringing on desperately needed new power generation facilities and meeting the state’s nation-leading climate goals and energy needs – we must move heaven and earth to deploy new green power. This bill will expedite the state-side offshore wind permitting process eliminating 3 years off of the permitting timeline all while protecting California’s coastal environment and storied fishing fleet, it will deploy resources for offshore wind infrastructure in local communities and help get folks to work through new career training programs,” Senate Majority Leader Mike McGuire said.
SB 286 – the Offshore Wind Expediting Act – will accelerate the state-side offshore wind permitting process through the State Coastal Commission and State Land Commission. At the same time, it will ensure environmental safeguards will remain in place, California’s storied fishing fleet interests are protected, and the bill will advance resources that benefit communities and develop family-sustaining careers through workforce education programs.
In addition to desperately needed streamlining, this bill also mandates state agencies and key stakeholders come together to collaborate and develop the long-term game plan to deploy offshore wind infrastructure.
SB 286 requires the Coastal Commission to bring the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the State Lands Commission, the Ocean Protection Council, representatives from the commercial fishing industry, representatives from the offshore wind industry, federal agencies, labor, Native American tribes and other stakeholders together over the next two years. This stakeholder group will create a statewide standard to ensure offshore wind development is expedited and will develop data-driven strategies to avoid and minimize impacts to ocean fisheries and to the maximum extent possible, mitigate for unavoidable impacts.
SB 286 was approved by a 9-0 vote in Senate Natural Resources Committee and will be heard next in the Senate Energy Committee.
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MIDDLETOWN
Middletown Luncheon Club hosts Guenoc Valley Project development discussion
The Guenoc Valley Project is a master-planned, mixed-use development in Lake County that will develop 1,415 acres of the 16,000-acre Guenoc Ranch with an ultra-luxury resort and a residential community. Our speaker, Chris Meredith, will share plans for the Guenoc Valley Project and answer questions. The project will certainly impact South Lake County. Come find out how.
Lunch will be served by the Senior Center on Wednesday, April 19, at noon, at the Middletown Senior Center, 21256 Washington Street. The program will end by 1 p.m. For only $5 per person, enjoy beef Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, carrots and peas, garden salad, and dessert. Everyone is welcome!
Reservations are required. Call the Senior Center at 987-3113 to make your reservation. You may also just come and listen for free without having lunch; no reservation is needed in that case.
Our programs occur 11 months of the year (no meetings in December) and always take place on the third Wednesday of the month.
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SACRAMENTO
Governor Newsom statement on Biden Administration’s new proposed emissions standards
Gov. Gavin Newsom issued the below statement following new federal emissions standards proposed by the U.S. EPA. The standards, championed by the Biden-Harris Administration, would effectively require a majority of all cars sold in the U.S. to be zero emissions vehicles (ZEV) by 2032, and if adopted, they would be the most stringent federal tailpipe requirements in history.
“This is a great day for America as our country, under the leadership of President Biden, charts a new course for a zero emissions future,” said Governor Newsom. “We’re proud of our work here in California that has made our state the national leader in ZEV sales – and now we stand ready to work together to lead the most significant economic transformation since the Industrial Revolution.”
CALIFORNIA’S ZEV RECORD:
- U.S. EPA approved California’s plan to require nearly half of all new heavy-duty trucks be zero emissions by 2035 last month
California recently approved more than $5 billion for the ZEV transition:
- $2.9 billion investment plan approved by the California Energy Commission in December accelerates California’s 2025 electric vehicle charging and hydrogen refueling goals
- $2.6 billion investment plan approved in November by the California Air Resources Board supports a wide range of ZEV projects, with 70% of the funds directed to disadvantaged and low-income communities – the state’s largest-ever investment in the equitable expansion of clean transportation
- California expects to receive $384 million of federal funding from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program to install charging stations throughout the state
- ZEVs are a top state export thanks to California’s success, spurring major advances in manufacturing and job creation
- California is home to 55 ZEV and ZEV-related manufacturers and leads the nation in ZEV manufacturing jobs
- 18.8% of all new cars sold last year in California were ZEVs, according to the California Energy Commission
ZEV sales are up 38% from 2021 and 138% from 2020
In comparison, the latest estimates show ZEV sales were 5.8% of all U.S. car sales in 2022
California approved one of the world’s first regulations last year requiring 100 percent of new car sales to be ZEVs by 2035, following Governor Newsom’s 2020 executive order to develop new rules for in-state sales.
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