August 23, 2015
The Honorable _______________________
California State Assembly
Sacramento, CA 95814
Re: Support for SB 350 (de Leon), SB673 (Lara), SB 788 (McGuire)
Dear Assemblymember,
At Saints Church, we recognize the need for harmonious interdependence of natural and human-made
environments and strive to do work that will build a healthy, sustainable world for all God's creation. As
such, I urge you to support three environmental bills that are especially important for their content and
their symbolism and that will make the kind of significant positive change that sends signals worldwide.
SB 350 (de Leon) will make sure California stays on a path to reduce climate pollution by setting some
important goals for the year 2030 for increasing renewable energy, reducing the amount of oil used for
transportation, and increasing energy efficiency. This bill will send a clear, loud signal that Californians
are committed to cutting our greenhouse gas pollution. The state’s most polluting industries are
opposing this bill.
SB673 (Lara) would increase public participation in, and the transparency of, the Department of Toxic
Substances Control's (DTSC) decision making process, and would improve the department's permitting
and enforcement programs. SB 673 creates a California Communities Committee that would provide
the DTSC with recommendations for increasing public participation and transparency in decisionmaking. The bill would also require the DTSC to adopt stricter permitting criteria to protect especially
vulnerable and over-burdened communities.
SB 788 (McGuire) will close a loophole in the law that would allow new oil drilling off the coast of Santa
Barbara. At least one oil company is preparing to take advantage of this loophole. We’ve tried many
times to close the loophole. If there’s any time we need to get this bill passed, it’s now, just months
after we saw again in Santa Barbara and points south just how damaging oil spills can be to California’s
coast. The oil industry wants to kill this bill.
The Assembly has just four weeks to act on these bills and then the governor will have another four
weeks to sign these bills. We thus urge you to act now for the environment on these three key bills.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
(Sign & Print Name)____________________________________________________________
Address_____________________________________________________________________
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