A new set of climate bills signed into law last month by Governor Gavin Newsom is already rippling through California’s energy landscape — and according to former Santa Barbara County supervisor Das Williams, the Central Coast stands to gain.
Newsom’s package, signed in mid-September at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, includes an extension of the state’s cap-and-trade program (now dubbed “cap-and-invest”) through 2045, provisions for stabilizing gas prices, and controversial support for expanded drilling in Kern County. But for advocates of green energy, one bill in particular — Assembly Bill 825 (AB 825) — signals legislative progress: It lays the groundwork for a regional electricity market across Western states.
“This is important because the [Trump] administration’s attempts to kill clean energy will stop some projects that we need to avoid higher prices on energy in general,” Williams told the Independent. “Despite the terrible policies that have been enacted by the current Congress and president, clean energy is still winning.”…