Saving the Planet for Future Generations

By Mark Leno

Protecting our environment, reversing the effects of global warming, reducing our carbon footprint, and insuring our water, air and food are clean and safe now and for generations to come are the most critical issues facing California, our nation and the world.

My legislative record on environmental issues has been spotless. The California Public Interest Research Group (CalPirg), the Sierra Club, the League of Conservation Voters and Environment California have all given me a 100 percent rating in their scorecards. Because I have authored more legislation on solar energy than any other legislator in Sacramento I have been honored to receive both Vote Solar and Friends of the Earth Legislator of the Year awards.

I have introduced AB 2760 - Light Brown Apple Moth EIR Requirements which will require than an Environmental Impact Report be completed before the state Department of Food and Agriculture can apply pesticide in an urban area for the eradication of the light brown apple moth.

In response to the oil spill I have authored AB 2547 - The Oil Spill Response and Technology Improvement Act, which reqires a comprehensive state evaluation of new spill response testing, and a captial matching program for emerging spill technologies. Unfortunately, the oil spill wasn't the only problem we encountered in the Bay this year. As a result of the sewage spill in Richardson Bay, I have teamed up with Assemblyman Jared Huffman, Friends of the Earth and San Francisco Baykeeper, to author AB 2986 - Clean Water Act of 2008 which will issue letter grades - A, B, C, D, or F - annually for every sewage collection system and sewage treatment plant in California. It will also require flow meters that would measure peak wet weather flow to help identify problem pipes contributing to spills.

Of all the environmental legislation I have authored over the 10 years I've been in public service, there is none that I am more proud of than SF solar Revenue Bond-2001, AB 594-2004-Installing Solar Panels on Public Buildings. This was a landmark, first-in-the-country, $100 million bond initiative that paid for solar panels, energy efficiency and wind turbines for public facilities. The bond was overwhelmingly passed by the voters of San Francisco, and what made the bond so attractive was that the measure paid for itself entirely from energy savings at no cost to taxpayers. As a result San Francisco became the model and now 15 other cities across the country have adopted the same program.