Courtesy of Assemblyman Robert Rivas’ Office:
On May 13, 2020, Assemblymember Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) proudly announced the passage of his Assembly Bill 2954, the Natural and Working Lands Climate Goal Bill, through the Assembly’s Natural Resources Committee. This bill is an important and unique one in helping the State achieve its target of carbon neutrality by 2045, as it would require the California Air Resources Board to identify an overall climate goal for California’s natural and working lands. These lands comprise 90% of the State’s landscape, including its forests, rangelands, farms, urban green spaces, and wetlands – which therefore have the potential to sequester significant amounts of carbon in soils, plants, and trees.
Rivas said: “I am grateful to the members of the Assembly’s Natural Resources Committee for recognizing the importance of this bill. As a state, we must remain steadfast in our commitment and efforts to reduce new emissions of carbon. But we also need to develop pathways to remove carbon from the atmosphere if we are going fend off the worst impacts of climate change.”
“Passage of this bill would provide for an overall climate goal for California’s natural and working lands,” Rivas said. “The Air Resource Board will also identify best practices, policy incentives, and ways to reduce barriers that would help achieve this goal. In this way, the bill will ensure that natural and working lands are a vital component of our State’s climate plan.”
Sponsored by The Nature Conservancy, AB 2954 is supported by a diverse coalition – including the California Climate and Agriculture Network, Romero Institute, American Farmland Trust, and the California League of Conservation Voters.
