Farm Bureau at work California Farm Bureau’s government affairs team is at the Capitol, advocating for farmers, ranchers and agriculture’s future. Here are some key issues Farm Bureau is focused on this week.
Climate Change State Sen. Ben Allen, D-Santa Monica, has significantly amended Senate Bill 709. The legislation, amended this month, would eliminate the requirement for the California Air Resources Board to guaran- tee that methane reduction projects such as dairy digesters receive the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard credit for at least 10 years. Amendments to the bill would eliminate the requirement for those projects to be eligible for an extension of credits after the first 10 years. The bill would require CARB, in imple- menting the LCFS regulations, to update the carbon intensity of each pathway for fuel derived from livestock manure to in- clude all emissions of greenhouse gases generated from the production of the feed- stock. If passed, the legislation would affect the financing and implementation of any new projects. The development of dairy digesters is widely recognized by CARB and the Legislative Analyst Office as the most productive and cost-effective climate in- vestment currently being implemented. Without these critical incentives, new proj- ects will not be developed, and existing projects will not remain economical and will cease operating. California Farm Bureau is engaged with agricultural stakeholders and has raised concerns to the author’s office. This bill will be heard in the Senate Environmental Quality Committee on April 19. Sen. Allen, the author of the bill, chairs this committee. Energy Farm Bureau filed a letter of concern re- garding SB 688, introduced by state Sen. Steve Padilla, D-San Diego. The bill would require the California Energy Commission to award grants for agrivoltaic system proj- ects to support research and development and study impacts of agrivoltaic systems on farms and on electricity generated from solar panels. Agrivoltaics, or dual-use solar, is the si- multaneous use of areas of land for solar photovoltaic power generation and agri- culture. The grant program is aimed at but not limited to the University of California, California State University and California community colleges. Farm Bureau has been in communi- cation with the senator’s office regard- ing the bill and how it may be improved. Particularly, Farm Bureau is concerned with adding agrivoltaics to the definition of “agricultural use” in the Williamson Act. It wants to ensure the study will evaluate all necessary components such as irrigating and harvesting under solar panels as op- posed to traditional agriculture, among other impacts. The bill was before the Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee this week. Farm Bureau will continue to communicate with the senator’s office and anticipates helpful amendments prior to the bill being heard in the Senate Agriculture Committee.
Transportation California Farm Bureau continues to engage in the rulemaking process for Advanced Clean Fleets, a regulation that targets the electrification of large diesel fleets in California. (See related story on Page 4.) At the end of March, the California Air Resources Board provided mostly techni- cal amendments to the previously drafted
regulation. Section D of the released draft has added problematic language moving the deadline of 100% zero-emission-vehi- cle sales from 2040 to 2036. Farm Bureau continues to express con- cerns with zero-emission-vehicle avail- ability, charging infrastructure in rural communities and the costs associated with upgrading fleets. This item will be heard by
the board on April 27. Meanwhile, on March 31, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ap- proved California’s Advanced Clean Trucks rule, which was adopted in 2020 and is also geared toward shifting heavy-duty trucks to zero-emission vehicles. The ACT rule focuses its requirements on manufacturers rather than vehicle owners or operators.
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April 12, 2023 Ag Alert 19
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