Elected Officials to Protect America (EOPA) California issued the following statement in response to Governor Gavin Newsom’s State of the State and the climate crisis:

“EOPA California applauds Governor Gavin Newsom’s climate actions to date. However, we are reminded of youths living in refinery cities, of how they grow up not knowing what clean air is and have watched loved ones suffer because of the toxins they’ve endured during their lives — some cut short because of fossil fuel production in their backyards.

“EOPA California thinks about the thousands of school children who live within spitting distance of oil drills and go to schools where their playgrounds buffer up against the antiquated drills that spew toxins in Kern County, LA and elsewhere. Too many know the inside of emergency rooms, having woken up in the night with bloody noses and barely breathing.

“EOPA California thinks about agricultural workers throughout the state who breathe in oil and gas particulates as they toil the land to feed a nation. Even with fires raging around them raining down more poison, and the pandemic ripping through their communities they never stopped working to put produce on tables for consumers across the USA. We think about how too many of their lives end prematurely with horrendous illnesses like cancer because of fossil fuel production.

“Around the globe 9 million die annually because of fossil fuel pollution. Its climate change-inducing greenhouse gas emissions have caused record droughts, fires, floods, super storms and rising seas that have led to mass migrations and have exacerbated conflicts, fueling wars. We all are graphically witnessing the horrors in Ukraine from Putin’s war machine funded by fossil fuel profits.

“The United Nation’s 2022 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report warns that nations aren’t doing nearly enough to protect people, their cities, farms, and coastlines from the hazards that the climate crisis has unleashed. Delaying action any longer will be catastrophic. As it read we have a ‘brief and rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a livable and sustainable future for all.’

“With all due respect for the work the Governor has achieved in our race to save humanity from these calamities—it’s not enough. Only he has the power with the stroke of a pen to take bolder action that would achieve the goals EOPA California has outlined. To that end over 430 elected officials, representing more than half of Californians, have signed our letter urging immediate action for him to stop issuing new fossil fuel permits, phase out fossil fuels, and institute 2,500-foot buffers between existing drill operations and community sites, while ensuring a just transition for workers in the fossil fuel industries as the state transitions to 100 percent clean energy. We appreciate that the Governor has taken steps in these areas, but they are invisible actions for every Californian who breathes deadly toxins daily, and will not be enough to meet the challenge the world faces. The magnitude of the global climate crisis demands action at the same scale.

“California must live up to its reputation of being a climate leader and invest in green energy solutions like offshore wind to ensure our energy independence. It’s time to build a 100 percent clean energy economy that provides union jobs, secures our energy supply and environmental justice, lowers families’ energy bills and allows every youth in our state to grow up breathing clean air to live long lives. We have the technologies. Now it’s up to Governor Newsom to lead our state, and the nation.”

About Elected Officials to Protect America: Elected Officials to Protect America is a network of current and former elected officials who care deeply about protecting the planet and people. EOPA is committed to solving the climate crisis, ensuring environmental justice, and protecting our lands and waters. EOPA educates through value-based storytelling, training lawmakers, and connecting elected officials to inspire strong environmental leadership.

EOPA California Chapter is a statewide, non-partisan network of California elected officials committed to protecting our communities, public health, and climate for all we represent.

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