For Immediate Release
SACRAMENTO – Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins today appointed Senator Josh Becker chair of the newly created Subcommittee on the Clean Energy Future.
“The health and resilience of Californians and our economy depends on a clean energy future,” said Senator Becker, the Peninsula Democrat who also serves as vice chair to the Legislature’s Committee on Climate Change Policies. “California has a pressing need to accelerate the expansion of our clean energy supply in order to meet our climate targets.
“I’m grateful to Pro Tem Atkins for establishing this subcommittee of the Senate Committee on the Energy, Utilities and Communications and for naming me the subcommittee chair. I appreciate the Pro Tem’s confidence and that of Committee Chair Senator Ben Hueso, with whom I will work in close partnership.”
The Subcommittee on the Clean Energy Future will explore policy options and identify barriers related to getting to a 100% clean electrical grid.
Senator Brian Dahle, R-Bieber, Senator Lena Gonzalez, D-Long Beach, Senator Dave Min, D-Irvine, and Senator Henry Stern, D-Los Angeles, will serve on the new subcommittee. “I thank my colleagues for joining me on this important new policy subcommittee,” Senator Becker said.
Senator Becker joined the Legislature in December with a strong track record of helping to craft and advance innovative climate policy. Climate action is the centerpiece of his legislative portfolio. His 2021 bills include Senate Bill 68 to ease the barriers to electrification of homes and commercial buildings by making it easier and less costly for owners to upgrade their electrical panels to accommodate a range of electrical appliances – including like water heaters, heating, cooling and ventilation systems, washers and dryers – as well as vehicle charging. Senator Becker also is championing decarbonization of California’s concrete and cement industry with his low-carbon cement bill, SB 596.
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Media Contact: Leslie Guevarra, 415-298-3404, leslie.guevarra@sen.ca.gov