{"id":475287,"date":"2025-09-12T13:26:37","date_gmt":"2025-09-12T20:26:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/calmatters.org\/?p=475287"},"modified":"2025-09-12T16:51:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T23:51:10","slug":"environment-law-advanced-manufacturing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/calmatters.org\/_ko\/politics\/2025\/09\/environment-law-advanced-manufacturing\/","title":{"rendered":"In last-minute scramble, California lawmakers fail to deliver promised environmental reform"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t\n\t\t
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In summary<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t

Despite a last-minute scramble, California Senate leaders failed to fix an environmental law rollback for advanced manufacturing, leaving pollution concerns untouched as session ends. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n

In June, California Democrats rushed to significantly roll back the state\u2019s landmark environmental law<\/a> to clear the path for land development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Environmental justice advocates weren\u2019t happy. Because of changes signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom, certain developments now are exempt from environmental reviews, which advocates fear will cut out tribal community feedback, threaten endangered species and lead to more pollution for some of the state\u2019s most at-risk residents. Facing backlash, Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire<\/a> promised a fix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat is an issue that we’re going to need to continue to focus on in the weeks and months to come before we leave this session in September,\u201d McGuire told his fellow senators<\/a> in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019s now run out of time. With just hours until the legislative session ends, Gov. Gavin Newsom, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas<\/a> and McGuire have not agreed on how to meaningfully address those environmental concerns, punting the discussion to the fall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a complex policy issue and we must get [it] right for Californians,\u201d said Nick Miller, a spokesperson for Rivas, when asked why the talks stalled. \u201cOur assessment is it needs to go through a public process with input and discussion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The differences laid bare the growing rift between the pro-development Assembly, which has pushed to cut red tape to build more housing faster, and the Senate, which has been more skeptical about private development without labor and environmental protections. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lack of progress has angered environmental justice advocates and lawmakers, who said the leaders failed to make good on their promises. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo say that the trust has broken is, I think, is a little bit of an understatement,\u201d said Assemblymember Liz Ortega<\/a>, a Hayward Democrat who was among 35 lawmakers to urge legislative leaders to fix the law in August. \u201cSeveral of us have asked to have this fixed, and we were told that it was going to get fixed, and now we’re here and we’re told that it’s not.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week, California leaders negotiated and released a budget-related bill<\/a> to implement the June updates with minimal changes. But the Senate\u2019s budget committee shelved the bill Wednesday amid senators\u2019 criticism that it didn\u2019t go far enough to regulate pollution, and environmental groups called the bill \u201cpremature and harmful.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘To say that the trust has broken is, I think, is a little bit of an understatement.’<\/p>Assemblymember Liz Ortega<\/a>, a Hayward Democrat<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In a symbolic move, Senate leaders announced Wednesday a separate, last-minute measure<\/a> to reinstate environmental review requirements for some high-polluting manufacturing plants within 300 feet of homes and schools, despite knowing it did not have time to pass this year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe thought it was really important for the public to see that when we made that commitment, we meant it. That we were not just talking about it,\u201d said Senate Budget Committee Chair Scott Wiener<\/a>, a San Francisco Democrat and a major champion of the environmental review exemptions and housing construction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe would prefer to do it now,\u201d he added. \u201cBut we need a three-party agreement to do anything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That going-nowhere proposal did not satisfy environmental groups. High-polluting plants have the potential to harm residents far beyond 300 feet, which amounts to half a city block, said Asha Sharma, <\/strong>state policy manager for Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the chaos, Assemblymember Damon Connolly<\/a>, a San Rafael Democrat, on Friday introduced an uber-last-minute measure<\/a> that largely reflected what environmental groups say they want. The proposal would restore environmental scrutiny for projects like hotels and resorts, developments on habitats for protected species and most advanced manufacturing plants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That proposal could not be voted on until next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Polluting facilities pose a ‘massive problem’<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The June update exempts \u201cadvanced manufacturing\u201d facilities such as hydrogen production facilities, plastic recycling facilities and lithium mining sites from environmental reviews as long as they are located in industrial zones and not on protected lands. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the months after, several advanced manufacturing projects have been proposed, including facilities on the San Bruno Mountain<\/a> and in Solano County<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Environmental justice groups say restoring environmental reviews for projects like these is a priority, because those facilities are some of the most hazardous and polluting facilities and are often located near low-income communities of color. The environmental review process is typically the only chance residents get to voice concerns about developments near their homes, Sharma said.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Learn more about legislators mentioned in this story.<\/p>\n

\n \n \n

Mike McGuire<\/p>\n

Democrat, State Senate, District 2 (Santa Rosa)<\/p>\n <\/a>\n \n \n

Scott Wiener<\/p>\n

Democrat, State Senate, District 11 (San Francisco)<\/p>\n <\/a>\n \n \n

Benjamin Allen<\/p>\n

Democrat, State Senate, District 24 (El Segundo)<\/p>\n <\/a>\n \n \n

Damon Connolly<\/p>\n

Democrat, State Assembly, District 12 (San Rafael)<\/p>\n <\/a>\n \n \n

Liz Ortega<\/p>\n

Democrat, State Assembly, District 20 (Hayward)<\/p>\n <\/a>\n \n \n

Robert Rivas<\/p>\n

Democrat, State Assembly, District 29 (Salinas)<\/p>\n <\/a>\n \n \n

Al Muratsuchi<\/p>\n

Democrat, State Assembly, District 66 (Torrance)<\/p>\n <\/a>\n \n \n

David Alvarez<\/p>\n

Democrat, State Assembly, District 80 (Chula Vista)<\/p>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Some lawmakers said that\u2019s why they won\u2019t vote this week for the budget bill to allocate money to implement the June reform. Sen. Ben Allen<\/a>, an El Segundo Democrat on the budget committee, called the manufacturing exemptions \u201cincredibly expansive\u201d and a \u201cmassive problem.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMost of us thought: \u2018Why would we possibly want to vote for this bill \u2026 when the commitments in terms of cleanup legislation haven\u2019t been met?\u201d he told CalMatters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frustrations grow over last-minute dealmaking<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Talks to tighten environmental regulations stalled amid the governor and legislative leaders\u2019 fast-moving secret negotiations on major energy and climate deals this week<\/a>, a common occurrence near the end of the legislative session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The stifled effort contrasts how quickly California\u2019s top Democrats scaled back the environmental rules in June. The governor at the time threatened to reject the state budget if the deal did not come through. The rollback was tucked into budget trailer bills \u2014 a tool leaders have increasingly used to rush major policies through with little public scrutiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat is so ironic, because apparently it was totally fine to jam everyone on an exemption for advanced manufacturing \u2026 but God forbid you rush a cleanup bill,\u201d said Kim Delfino, an environmental attorney and founder of Earth Advocacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rushed nature of the June deal, critics say, is why a \u201ccleanup\u201d is necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was rammed down everyone\u2019s throats,\u201d Allen said. \u201cIt\u2019s probably why we feel the need to push back on this particular issue because \u2026 this was a particularly aggressive and out-of-whack set of changes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI continue to be extremely disappointed with anyone who takes advantage of this notion that delay gives leverage,\u201d said Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi<\/a>, a Torrance Democrat who said he didn\u2019t cast a vote on the June rollback because of the manufacturing exemptions<\/a>. \u201cIt prevents us from having a more open, transparent and democratic process to fully debate these important policy proposals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even those who did vote for the rollback argue for more limits placed on manufacturing. Assemblymember David Alvarez,<\/a> a Chula Vista Democrat, said he grew up next to a manufacturing plant and suffers from asthma to this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt needs to be addressed immediately. \u2026We are not in the 1970s and \u201880s anymore,\u201d he said in a hearing Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\t\n\t\t

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