Senator Henry Stern

Acting to ensure that public safety will be protected before storage activity can resume at the Aliso Canyon gas storage facility, the California State Senate today unanimously approved amendments added by the Assembly to urgency legislation authored by Senator Fran Pavley. With the concurrence of amendments in place and SB 380 approved by the Assembly last week on a bipartisan 70-2 vote, the bill now goes to the governor. It will become effective immediately upon his signature.

With Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature on SB 380 today, residents of Porter Ranch and surrounding communities can now be assured that natural gas storage at SoCal Gas Co.’s Aliso Canyon facility will not resume until the highest safety standards are met.

Senate approves Senator Pavley’s SB 999, to provide women with up to a 12-month supply of contraceptives

       SACRAMENTO – Voting to remove a barrier to consistent, effective access to birth control, the state Senate today approved Senator Fran Pavley’s SB 999, which would require health plans to cover up to a 12-month supply of hormonal contraceptives when such a prescription is requested by a woman’s health care provider.

Acting to establish minimum safety standards at all natural gas storage facilities in California and to also prevent what Senator Fran Pavley called “a risky over-reliance on natural gas,” the state Senate today approved two bills that would lessen the risk of a repeat of the disastrous Aliso Canyon natural gas leak that disrupted life and fouled the air in the San Fernando Valley over a four-month period.

“Aliso Canyon is a wake-up call,” said Senator Pavley. “We need to ensure this will not happen again.”

State Sen. Fran Pavley, left, California Air Resources Board Chair Mary Nichols and Pavley staff member Henry Stern are shown directly above leaking gas well SS-25 on a tour of the Southern California Gas Co. facility in Aliso Canyon near Porter Ranch. 

SACRAMENTO -- Today’s order ensures that the moratorium on injecting gas into the storage facility will remain in place until independent experts certify the safety of existing wells and also takes other important steps to protect public health and safety.While the emergency actions taken today are most welcome, they should be seen as first steps in a comprehensive state response to an incident that has done great damage to the residents of Porter Ranch and to California’s environment. The Legislature will consider further actions in the months ahead.

It's an amazing achievement when almost all of the participating 195 countries can gain consensus on a plan to address one of the most important issues of our lifetime — global climate change. I had the privilege of being part of the California delegation in Paris. The subnational governments, especially California, made a big difference with our 15 years of legislation that prove you can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and not only help clean up our air, but also create new jobs and businesses.

Sen. Fran Pavley, chair of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water, is convening a hearing to discuss how California can best assess its underfunded water needs. The Water Foundation’s Executive Director Lester Snow will address the committee, providing opening remarks on how California should address chronically underfunded water management challenges.Following his remarks, experts will address the following specific underfunded areas:

LOS ANGELES – How can efforts to meet California’s long-term goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions be leveraged to also produce economic, water-conservation and traffic-reduction benefits across the state? What can be gained on the ground as we reduce carbon emissions in the atmosphere?The Senate Select Committee on Climate Change and AB 32 Implementation will explore those questions at a hearing Friday, Nov. 13, at the UCLA School of Law.

VAN NUYS -- The recent closure of I-5 due to mudslides from heavy rains amply demonstrated how vulnerable Southern California is to extreme weather events.