The Latest with the Environment and Energy.

The PoliciPro team has compiled a roundup of the top issues impacting federal, state, and local level environmental and energy policy. Here is the latest: 

California 

• Wednesday, Sep. 25: Gov. Gavin Newsom announced he had signed legislation to transition some neighborhoods around the state from natural gas to electricity. S.B. 1221 the CPUC by January 2026 to designate areas, based partly on where pipes need to be replaced, as priority decarbonization zones and to create voluntary programs to move up to 30 of those zones to electricity by July 2026.

• Friday, Sep. 27: Gov. Gavin Newsom signed S.B. 960 which mandates the California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS) to develop four-year targets for including nondriving — or “complete streets” — infrastructure in projects financed with state highway funds, and include pedestrian and bicyclist policy in their overall management plans. The bill also requires the agency to adopt policy guidelines for building transit facilities by 2027. 

Gov. Newsom also vetoed A.B 2513 which would have required warning labels on natural gas stoves sold online to Californians starting next year and in stores starting in 2026. 

• Saturday, Sep. 28: Governor Gavin Newsom signed S.B 707 which calls for clothing producers to create and fund an organization to help launch a textile recycling program that would be overseen by CalRecycle. 

• Sunday, Sep. 29: Gov. Gavin Newsom signed S.B. 1143 which will expand a program requiring paint producers to recover and recycle their products. The bill adds coating-related products to the list of paints that manufacturers must reuse or otherwise prevent from ending up in landfills under a 2010 law.

• Tuesday, Oct. 01: The California State Assembly passed A.B 2-1. which would give the California Energy Commission the authority to require oil refiners to store more gas as a buffer against supply shortages that have been associated with price spikes. 

Vermont

• Tuesday, Sep. 24: The Vermont chapter of the Conservation Law Foundation on Tuesday filed suit in Washington County's Superior Court against the secretary of the Agency of Natural Resources for not meeting obligations under the state’s 2020 Global Warming Solutions Act, which requires Vermont to lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Hawaii

• Wednesday, Sep. 25: Hawaii's Supreme Court will consider questions about issues that threaten to thwart a $4 billion settlement in last year's devastating Maui wildfires.

If you require in-depth motoring or reporting on legislation related to environmental and energy policy, email the PoliciPro team at contact@policipro.com.