Sacramento, CA—Today, the Senate Committee on Business, Professions and Economic Development passed SB 1206, authored by Senator Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park). This bill would incentivize the creation of a first-of-its-kind battery manufacturing facility for next generation batteries in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, which will create dependable, unionized manufacturing jobs and bring California closer to its clean energy goals.
SB 1206 authorizes the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) to develop a public-private partnership of labor, private-sector manufacturers, investors, and community partners to create a plan for a regional Bay Area, Northern San Joaquin Valley, and Sacramento County battery manufacturing hub. The bill aims to duplicate the public-private partnership model proven successful by ARCHES. It would decrease costs and increase access to next-generation batteries, advance the state’s clean energy and EV deployment goals, and maximize workforce and equity benefits.
“With this bill, we can continue to show that getting to net-zero means improving quality of life in California,” said Becker. “SB 1206 moves our state closer towards our climate goals through investing in innovation, while also creating good-paying union jobs.”
This legislation will support California’s efforts to bring down tax credits and loans from the Inflation Reduction Act, as well as provide support to the private sector in the innovation and commercialization of these new technologies. This public-private partnership will support California’s EV and clean energy transition supporting High Road jobs and community benefits.
SB 1206 is sponsored by the State Building & Construction Trades Council of California, and supported by Blue Current, INC, California Mobility Center, Clean Transportation Technologies and Solutions, and Rising Sun Center for Opportunity. It now heads to the Senate Energy, Utilities and Commerce Committee.