April 22 was Earth Day, and more than 50 elected officials have signed a letter this week urging lawmakers to make oil and gas companies bear the cost of climate change.
The California Polluters Pay Superfund, which went before the state Senate Judiciary Committee on April 22, would assess a fee on large oil and gas companies to pay for programs that mitigate damage from climate change.
Ahmad Zahra, a council member in Fullerton, signed onto the letter sponsored by the group Elected Officials to Protect America.
“Throughout the years, these large oil companies were really not necessarily telling the truth about air pollution,” Zahra pointed out. “Just like we’ve seen in oil spills and ground pollution, the responsible party has to pay for it.”
The Western States Petroleum Association opposes the bill, saying it would lead to higher gas prices. The bill directs the California Environmental Protection Agency to determine how much climate change has cost the state from 1990 to 2024. Federal data show California has suffered 46 natural disasters linked to climate change since 1980, each resulting in more than $1 billion in losses, with $250 billion from the Los Angeles firestorm alone.
Marisol Rubio, a council member in San Ramon, said 40% of the funds would be directed to low-income communities most affected by fossil fuel pollution.
“Those funds can then be used to better manage and correct and abate the pollution that not only already exists but that will come inevitably in the future, until we are able to be independent of fossil fuels,” Rubio explained.
Advocates said right now, every day Californians foot the bill for climate change in the form of higher taxes, insurance rates and utility bills, as well as via medical expenses for pollution-related illness.
