Senator Wiener’s Work on Climate Change and the Environment

Senator Wiener is an environmental champion who fights every day for a better climate future. He is the author of numerous forward-thinking climate policies that will help California transition to 100% clean energy, and he strongly supports a Green New Deal.

In 2018, Senator Wiener passed SB 700 — the largest clean energy storage investment in California history — to transform the California energy storage market and extend solar usage into the evening and night hours. SB 700 provides customer rebates for installation of energy storage systems, just as California once did for solar panels. In 2022, his legislation requiring cities to implement instant permitting for solar and energy storage systems, SB 379, became law. He also authored and passed SB 966, to require the State Water Board to create water reuse standards in California, which will allow cities to implement local water reuse programs while still maintaining public health protections.

Senator Wiener also works to protect the environment and fight climate change through his housing and transportation work. Understanding that to meet its aggressive climate goals, California must decrease its carbon footprint, Senator Wiener strongly advocates for building new housing near public transportation and close to where people work. The state’s current approach to housing and land use — banning apartment buildings and affordable housing near public transportation and job centers and thus forcing people to move further and further out — has created sprawl, which covers up farmland and open space and increases carbon emissions by creating longer and longer commutes. This sprawl development also worsens wildfires and makes a strong response to wildfires more difficult.

Senator Wiener recently pursued legislation, SB 467, to ban fracking and other dangerous drilling, including drilling within 2,500 of homes and schools, and SB 260, to hold corporations accountable for climate change by requiring them to report their carbon emissions.

Senator Wiener co-authored SB 1, which taxes gas in order to fund public transportation and road repairs, and passed SB 288 to expedite approval of sustainable transportation projects, including protected bike lanes, pedestrian safety upgrades, light rail, bus-only lanes, and “Slow Streets.”

As a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, Senator Wiener authored legislation requiring water recycling and solar panels in new developments. He also authored legislation to protect and expand green spaces, create new parks, and expand San Francisco’s urban forest.