Capitol Voice March 2019

A Solution to Plastic Pollution Crisis

Cleaning up Ride-Hailing Cars

Redux to Protect the Mojave National Preserve Groundwater

A Solution to Plastic Pollution Crisis

By Lauren Cullum

Single-use products, typically plastic packaging, create numerous problems that current disposal and recycling policies cannot resolve.

Historically, less than 15 percent of single-use plastic is recycled in California. Since China has implemented a new policy restricting the amount of foreign waste it accepts, even less plastic is being recycled.

Now California legislators are partnering to develop the California Circular Economy and Plastic Pollution Reduction Acts, SB 54 (Allen, Skinner, Stern, Wiener) and AB 1080 (Gonzalez, Friedman, Ting).

These two bills would create a framework to dramatically reduce the amount of single-use waste generated in the state and require that the remaining packaging be truly recyclable or compostable. The goal is for single-use packaging and products sold or distributed in California to be reduced, recycled or composted by 75 percent by 2030.

Eliminating non-reusable, non-recyclable and non-compostable products and reducing packaging is by far the most effective, and least expensive way to protect human, wildlife and environmental health.

Significantly reducing California’s reliance on single-use packaging is critical in meeting the state’s climate and waste diversion commitments. These bills will be an important step in protecting public health, reducing clean-up costs and our reliance on fossil fuels, restoring ecosystems and revitalizing resource-dependent communities.

Sierra Club California is part of a coalition working to pass the California Circular Economy and Plastic Pollution Reduction Acts. Watch for an email alert soon about how you can help get these bills passed.

Cleaning up Ride-Hailing Cars

By Katherine Garcia

Los Angeles

Uber, Lyft and other transportation network companies (TNCs) have become an ubiquitous element of urban transportation. The service makes it easier for households to own fewer cars, or eliminate car ownership altogether. For those living car-free, TNCs can serve as a good first/last-mile option on route to a public transportation stop.

But these options aren’t necessarily helping cut pollution because they typically use gasoline vehicles. One way to address the pollution issue is to make sure TNCs use zero-emission cars.

Last year, Senator Nancy Skinner passed SB 1014, the Clean Miles Standard and Incentive Program. The new law directs the California Air Resources Board and the California Public Utilities Commission to set new requirements for TNCs to cut climate pollution. This new program is critical for ensuring that ride-hailing companies are driving cleaner miles on our roads.

This aligns with Lyft’s launch in Seattle of Green Mode, which allows users to request a ride in an EV or hybrid.

Recently cities across the country have proposed a TNC tax to raise revenue. Transportation experts recommend that rather than approaching these rates as a budgeting exercise, policymakers should be thoughtful about how the charges will affect behavior.

Assemblymember Ting took this to heart when he introduced Assembly Bill 1184 last year. That law allows San Francisco residents to vote on a new tax on TNCs that will help improve transportation operations and infrastructure within the city. The bill states that the city should charge a lower tax rate for shared rides to encourage carpooling. It also recommends a lower rate for zero-emission vehicles to incentivize their deployment.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is expected to develop an ordinance for the ballot tax measure within the next few months. A critical question is whether the supervisors include incentives to encourage zero-emission cars.

Sierra Club California supported AB 1184 because it could set an important precedent for other cities that aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ensure their citizens breathe clean air. Now we’re waiting to see if San Francisco will appropriately take up that challenge.

Redux to Protect the Mojave National Preserve Groundwater

By Brandon Dawson

The campaign to stop the Cadiz groundwater project has been renewed.

Senator Richard Roth has introduced Senate Bill 307 in an effort to halt a project attempting to take thousands of acre-feet of water from under the Mojave National Preserve and sell it to the highest bidder.

The United States Geological Survey has concluded that the Mojave Desert aquifer recharges at an annual average of between 2,000-10,000 acre-feet. Cadiz Inc. has proposed a project that will pump 50,000 acre-feet or 16 billion gallons of water annually for 50 years from the aquifer.

The Cadiz project would drain the aquifer at a much faster rate than the groundwater could be replenished. That drainage would damage and likely destroy desert springs and watering holes.

SB 307 would prohibit such transfers of water unless the State Lands Commission, in consultation with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, finds that the transfer will not adversely affect the natural resources of those federal and state lands. The bill essentially allows California’s agencies the opportunity to do the environmental review that the federal government is refusing to do.

Last year’s iteration of the bill, SB 120, also introduced by Senator Roth, was subject to election-year political issues and stalled in the Senate Appropriations committee. The bill is more likely to be approved by the legislature this year.

California’s desert lands consist of an ecosystem rich in plants and animals that depend on every drop of water found in the desert. These deserts have unique scenic, historical, archeological, ecological, wildlife, cultural, scientific, educational, and recreational value and are enjoyed by millions of Americans each year.

SB 307 will ensure this fragile ecosystem is sustained and has the opportunity to thrive in the face of certain threat. Sierra Club California staff and volunteers will be working to get this bill over the finish line.

Thank you for being a part of our work! Consider making it monthly. You may securely donate online or by sending a check to Sierra Club California at 909 12th Street, Suite 202, Sacramento, CA 95814.