FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 1, 2020
Contact: Kathryn Phillips--916-893-8494 (mobile)
Governor Signs Bill that Creates Jobs while Cutting Pollution, Improving Public School Health and Safety, and Accelerating Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure
Sacramento--With just hours left before the bill-signing deadline, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 841, which will help improve indoor air and ventilation in classrooms and help reduce pollution outdoors from cars and trucks.
The bill, authored by Assemblymember Phil Ting, was backed by a broad coalition of labor, environmental, public health, and environmental justice organizations. The bill creates an innovative approach that will improve the environment while also providing family-supporting blue-collar job opportunities.
Specifically, the bill:
Ensures that for three years, a portion of the funds for an existing energy efficiency program are directed toward repairing and improving heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems and plumbing systems in public schools. A portion of the funding is guaranteed for schools in underserved communities.
- Accelerates the Public Utilities Commission process for approving funding for electric vehicle charging stations. It also requires that at least one member of each installer team has passed a safety certification process.
- The governor signed the bill a week after releasing an executive order that advances the transition to zero-emission electric vehicles.
Statement from Kathryn Phillips, Director of Sierra Club California:
"Every Californian will benefit from the governor’s signature on AB 841. We’ll get healthier classrooms and cleaner outdoor air.
"More importantly, by signing this bill, Governor Newsom has effectively responded to the naysayers in the oil industry. This bill will address climate change, cut fossil fuel dependence, and provide good-paying blue-collar jobs.
"AB 841 was the product of a blue-collar and green-activist alliance. It signals to the rest of the world that Californians are more committed than ever to working together across sectors to cut pollution and challenge climate change."
Sierra Club California is the legislative and lobbying arm of Sierra Club’s 13 local chapters in California, representing more than 170,000 members in the state.