Senate Bill 895 Signed Into Law

SACRAMENTO – California State Senator Bob Archuleta (D-Pico Rivera) released the following statement:

Senator Bob Archuleta was included amongst the state’s top leaders on climate action when his legislation – Senate Bill 895 – was signed in to law as a part of Governor Newsom’s strategy to “Strengthen California’s Climate Leadership.”

Since elected in 2018, Senator Archuleta has been a key advocate in the Legislature for reduction of diesel emissions and greenhouses gases in the Golden State, specifically in his district, where emissions remain a serious health issue.”

“Our community has been plagued by deadly diesel emissions for far too long,” said Archuleta. “I am proud to be in a position to scream that message from the rooftops of Sacramento. Senate Bill 895 is a big step in the right direction toward improving air quality and quality of life in my District, as well as the entire state.”

Senate Bill 895 will allow state funds previously earmarked for ‘clean diesel’ investments to instead be invested in zero-emission technology development and deployment. The funds, managed by the California Energy Commission (CEC) through the Diesel Emission Reduction Fund, were set aside for ‘clean diesel’ in 1989, when few cleaner alternatives existed.

“We now know that there is no such thing as ‘clean’ diesel,” said Archuleta. “Today, we have 100 percent zero-emission alternatives like hydrogen fuel cell vehicles that can replace heavy diesel polluters like trucks and buses immediately and we should be investing in those technologies whenever we can.”

With the changes made under Senate Bill 895, the CEC will be able to invest in zero-emission diesel alternatives beginning next year. Senator Archuleta worked in collaboration with the entire zero-emission vehicle industry to pass this landmark legislation and said he will continue to fight to bring zero-emission vehicles to the 32nd Senate District in the coming year.

“This bill will give us one more weapon in our battle against the deadly diesel emissions that make our children and elderly sick and harm the public health of our entire community,” said Archuleta. “It is a good step, but not a final one, and I will continue to fight this battle so long as our communities suffer from these harmful pollutants.”