California Lawmakers Race to Settle $4 Billion Climate Fund and Wildfire Deals by Aug. 31
Updated
Updated · CalMatters · Aug 3
California Lawmakers Race to Settle $4 Billion Climate Fund and Wildfire Deals by Aug. 31
2 articles · Updated · CalMatters · Aug 3
Summary
Less than a month before adjournment, California lawmakers returned to Sacramento to negotiate several unresolved deals, with spending from the state’s main climate fund emerging as the central fight.
$4 billion in annual cap-and-trade revenue had been expected for climate programs, but new state rules could cut that roughly in half, leaving high-speed rail, drinking water, housing and transit funding in doubt.
Newsom is also pressing a still-unspecified wildfire package that critics say could reduce utility liability and shift more recovery costs onto insurance customers and fire victims.
California Forever is again seeking special environmental carve-outs for its Solano County project after losing a proposed Saronics shipyard to Texas; the group has spent $455,000 lobbying since last year.
Before the Aug. 31 deadline, leaders must also decide the fate of a major antitrust bill and renewed efforts by counties to limit costly childhood sexual abuse claims that have already produced multibillion-dollar settlements.