Capitol Voice October 2022

By Daniel Barad

These past few months have put on full display the worst impacts of the climate crisis. On the West Coast, California is still recovering from a historic heat wave, meanwhile Hurricane Ian is devastating the East Coast. Additionally, millions of Californians continue to live in communities plagued by pollution and breathe air that is out of attainment with federal air quality standards. It's never been more important to advocate for stronger regulations for our air quality and public health.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) will hold the first of two hearings on the Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) rule later this month. Simply put, this rule will require truck fleet owners to purchase minimum numbers of zero emission trucks. The ACF rule builds on the Advanced Clean Trucks rule which required manufacturers to make minimum numbers of zero emission trucks. These regulations are part of the state’s effort to transition 100% of the polluting medium- and heavy-duty trucks on California’s road to zero emissions by 2045.

The transportation sector emits 40% of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions and 80% of its smog-forming NOx emissions which makes this rule a unique opportunity to fight climate change while improving the health of Californians. 

The proposed rule would significantly reduce emissions and provide enormous health benefits for Californians, but it still needs to be stronger to ensure that California makes the most of this live-saving opportunity. Specifically, CARB should:

1. Require 100% zero emission truck sales in California by 2036 (instead of 2040, as proposed)
2. Reduce the size of class 7 and 8 (big rig) fleets covered by this rule from 50 to 10
3. Begin transitioning all trucks to zero emission starting in 2027 (instead of 2030, as proposed)

CARB has conveniently analyzed these proposed changes and dubbed this better version of the rule “Alternative 2.” The benefits of adopting Alternative 2 as opposed to the current proposal are significant. To name a few, adoption of Alternative 2 would provide: 

• Over $34 billion in additional health benefits
• An additional 60% reduction in NOx and harmful fine particulate emissions 
• A 54% greater reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
• The avoidance of over 3,000 additional premature deaths

The benefits of a stronger ACF rule are undeniable, but the fossil fuel industry is pushing back hard and asking CARB for a weaker rule. We need your help to ensure that CARB passes the strongest, most pro-environment and pro-public health ACF rule possible.

Use this link to send CARB a message and ask them to adopt Alternative 2. Please also keep your eyes on your inbox for additional opportunities to help us get polluting, toxic trucks off the road as soon as possible. 
 

By Erin Woolley

On October 12, the California Fish and Game Commission (Commission) will revisit whether to list the western Joshua Tree as a threatened species under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA). The Commission failed to reach a final decision on the listing at their June meeting earlier this year. 
 
The western Joshua Tree faces the threat of extinction by the end of the century due to the effects of climate change, increasing risk of wildfires, and land development. Left unaddressed, these harms have and will continue to destroy existing trees and habitat. The western Joshua Tree is largely unable to establish new trees because of rising temperatures and more frequent drought conditions. Scientists predict that the western Joshua tree could lose over 90% of its current habitat in the Mojave desert by the end of the century due to warming climate.
 
In 2020, the Commission granted temporary protections to the western Joshua Tree as a candidate species under the CESA. In June, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife presented the findings of their status review to the Commission, ultimately recommending the western Joshua Tree not be listed. The Commission heard several hours of public comments from hundreds of participants during the meeting, in addition to receiving over 3,000 written comments from Sierra Club members and supporters and thousands of additional comments from members of the public and other organizations in the weeks leading up to the meeting.

After hours of discussion among the Commissioners, the Commission was unable to make a majority decision. A vote to find the listing warranted failed 2-2. The western Joshua Tree remains protected as a candidate species until a majority of the Commission makes a determination. 

Reaching a majority vote, either in favor of or against listing, may be easier now that the Commission’s fifth seat has been filled. On October 5th, Governor Newsom announced the appointment of Anthony Williams to fill the vacant seat on the Fish and Game Commission. Williams was previously appointed to the Fish and Game Commission by Governor Brown and served in this role until 2018. 

The Fish and Game Commission will revisit the western Joshua tree listing at its meeting scheduled for Wednesday, October 12 at 9 am. The meeting will be open to both in person and virtual attendance, though additional public comment on this item may not be considered. At the end of its June meeting, the Commission decided to reopen the record for the limited purpose of receiving further input from Tribal Nations. The Commission also requested that the Department of Fish and Wildlife present an outline of a conservation plan, as an alternative to listing. Upon review of this additional information, the Commission is expected to take additional comment from Tribal governments. The Commission will then vote again to decide whether to list the western Joshua Tree as threatened under CESA.
 
If listed as threatened, the western Joshua Tree would be the first species protected under CESA primarily due to climate change. This listing would set a precedent to protect other species from climate change impacts in upcoming years – a critical tool for ensuring a thriving future for our state, and ensuring California achieves our goal of protecting 30% of our lands and waters by 2030.
 
Keep an eye on your inbox for further updates on how you can protect the western Joshua Trees and other species endangered by the effects of climate change.
 

Sierra Club California Summit 2022: Save the Date

By Brandon Dawson

We’re tremendously excited to announce that Sierra Club California's annual summit will be held virtually on Saturday, November 12th! 

This year’s theme is Leading the Way: Climate Action at Every Level. The half-day event will feature three panels of local, state, and national elected officials and Sierra Club activists discussing the climate action wins California experienced in 2022. 

Stay tuned for the full agenda and registration link, which will be released next week.

We hope to see you next month on Saturday, November 12.