NEWS
COALITION LETTERS TO STATE LEADERS
PRESS RELEASES
Cap-and-Trade is a centerpiece of the state’s climate policy but the Governor’s plan and closed door negotiations embrace oil industry priorities over communities struggling to afford the costs of advancing climate change
Lawmakers resume business following the Governor’s Office sharing draft legislation last month to streamline new oil wells and to exempt drilling in Kern County from environmental review
August 18, 2025
Climate and Environmental Justice Leaders Demand Lawmakers Include Communities, Not Just Oil Giants, in Negotiating Next 20 Years of Climate Policy
(SACRAMENTO, CA) - As lawmakers returned to Sacramento today to conclude the year’s major policy decisions over the next few weeks, climate and environmental justice leaders held a press conference at the State Capitol demanding lawmakers to stop excluding the public from negotiations with the oil industry in deciding the next 20 years of the state’s Cap-and-Trade program, and to ensure the program invests a more affordable and equitable California.
PRESS RELEASES
June 24, 2025
Climate and Environmental Justice Leaders Urge Lawmakers to Reject Gov Newsom’s Cap-and-Trade Plan, Prioritize Affordability and Equity for Struggling Families Over Billions More in Big Oil Handouts
Cap-and-Trade is a centerpiece of the state’s climate policy but the Governor’s plan keeps billions in giveaways for the state’s oil and gas industry while striking all funds to help communities struggling with poverty and pollution
(SACRAMENTO, CA) - Outside the State Capitol, climate, environmental justice, and sustainable agriculture leaders held a press conference urging lawmakers to reject Governor Gavin Newsom’s proposal for extending Cap-and-Trade and end the program’s handouts to Big Oil (worth $890 million last year) while also releasing a list of reform demands for grounding the program’s future in affordability and equity for California’s families with low-incomes.
PRESS RELEASES
May 14, 2025
Environmental Justice Groups Urge Lawmakers to Reject Gov. Newsom’s Cap-and-Trade Proposal, Prioritize Affordability over Oil Industry Profits
Groups call for eliminating Cap-and-Trade’s $1 billion giveaway to Big Oil and redirecting these funds to affordability programs
(SACRAMENTO, CA) - Environmental justice and equity organizations across California are urging lawmakers to reject Governor Gavin Newsom’s proposal for a “straight extension” of California’s Cap-and-Trade program released today as part of the May Revision and to enact program reforms to address California’s affordability crisis.
NEWS
LOS ANGELES TIMES
As California pushes toward its ambitious goals for addressing climate change, the fate of its signature program is hanging in the balance. For months, lawmakers, industry groups and environmental advocates have been mired in negotiations over whether and how to extend the cap-and-trade program, which limits planet-warming emissions, beyond its 2030 expiration date.
California’s signature climate effort is up for renewal — and it’s a fight
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY SUN
Climate change is not a distant threat. It’s a daily reality affecting the health, food supply, and livelihoods of all Californians.
The farmers and ranchers I work with are acutely facing the worsening effects of climate change. In recent years, floods have washed away farms, extreme heat waves have decimated harvests, and wildfires have damaged crops and killed livestock. These climate impacts are driving up the cost of food for everyone.
Families and Farmers Deserve Priority in California’s Climate Future
THE FRESNO BEE
Last month, Congress overturned California’s ability to phase out gasoline-powered cars and gave oil companies a huge gift. If upheld in court, it will seriously impair our ability to protect people from pollution and eliminate the single largest source of emissions causing the climate crisis.
Gov. Gavin Newsom responded with outrage. Yet, state lawmakers are considering a multi-billion dollar giveaway to Big Oil he proposed last month when announcing plans to extend the state’s Cap-and-Trade Program for 20 years.
California must adjust Cap-and-Trade to protect resident’s health
BLOOMBERG
A coalition of groups, including the American Lung Association and California Environmental Voters, have called on lawmakers to make substantial changes, such as eliminating free allowances given to oil and gas companies that totaled almost $900 million last year by their estimate.
California Lawmakers Snub Call for Quick Cap-and-Trade Extension
CALMATTERS
A coalition of environmental justice groups said the governor, by using so much money for high speed rail and general fund expenses, is leaving inadequate money “for extreme heat impacts, affordable housing, clean drinking water, and other critical environmental programs that reduce greenhouse gasses and clean up contaminated air, water and soil that pose direct threats to public health.”