California took legislative action in 2016 aimed at addressing
climate change, advancing renewable energy, and maintaining the
state's emphasis on safety in the energy sector.
In 2016, the California legislature took further aggressive
action aimed at climate change, calling for the state to reduce
statewide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 40% below 1990 levels
by the year 2030. It coupled this ambition with a number of
intended protections for vulnerable communities in California that
have traditionally borne the brunt of emissions and other impacts
associated with energy production. The state also advanced
renewable energy, especially biomass-fueled electricity, energy
efficiency, and energy storage (at both bulk and distributed
scales) by promoting their consideration and procurement through a
variety of programs. Finally, California maintained its emphasis
over the last several years on legislating additional safety
measures in the energy sector—especially for
