The temperature is rising around the most contested and perhaps far-reaching climate action bill of the current legislative session in California. Having failed to block in committee the Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act — which would require large corporations to disclose most of their greenhouse gas emissions — business lobbyists who oppose the measure are lighting up the phones of the dozen or so Democratic members of the state Assembly whose votes will decide the fate of Senate Bill 253. As the end of the legislative session on Sept. 14 nears, supporters of the bill that would force companies to reveal their complete carbon footprint and potentially inspire other states to take similar action say there is no way to predict its final outcome. Especially not in a house with 25 new members who are enduring the pressure-packed end of session for the first time in their political careers.
“There are a lot of new members we’re really excited about,” said Mary Creasman, CEO of California Environmental Voters, which has listed SB 253 as its top legislative priority for the year. “At the same time, there are a lot of new members who have never been through the end of session and have not experienced industry tricks and lies. They’re still trying to figure out the dynamic, who they can trust and who they can’t. New members tend to be more susceptible to the deceptive practices of industry.”
