Policy Milestones & History
Photo Credit: USDA NRCS
- 2025
- 2024
- 2022
- 2021
- 2020
- 2018
- 2017
- 2014
- 2012
- 2011
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AB 1207 (Irwin)
Reauthorized the state’s Cap-and-Invest Program (renamed from Cap-and-Trade) through 2045 and made practical reforms to reduce energy costs and keep the state on track to achieve its critically important climate and clean energy goals. The revenue generated by the Cap-and-Invest Program has been a critical source of funding for many of the programs CalCAN has advocated for in the past decade.
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SB 279 (McNerney)
Removes several longstanding regulatory barriers that have prevented increasing the production and sale of compost on farms and ranches
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AB 408 (Wilson)
Put a bond measure (Proposition 4) that voters approved in Nov. 2024 to fund investments of hundreds of millions of dollars in climate smart agriculture, local food system infrastructure, and farmworker health and well-being.
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SB 675 (Limón)
Advances prescribed grazing as a multi-benefit wildfire solution by making it eligible for funding in CalFire’s budget, and integrates the practice into local, regional, and state wildfire mitigation plans.
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AB 1757 (C. Garcia, 2022)
Requires CNRA, in collaboration with other state agencies and an expert advisory committee, to set state targets for carbon sequestration and develop methods for tracking GHG emissions and carbon sequestration.
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CARB 2022 Scoping Plan Update
First Scoping Plan to include targets for implementing climate smart practices on cropland, implementing land easements/conservation on cropland, and increasing organic agriculture acreage.
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Launch of the Organic Transition Program
Supports farmers and ranchers in transitioning land to organic certification.
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Launch of the Water Efficiency Technical Assistance Program
Funds technical assistance grants to assist farmers with on-farm water and energy efficiency and nutrient management.
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Natural and Working Lands 30x30 Biodiversity Goal
Executive order that set a goal of conserving at least 30% of California’s land and coastal waters by 2030. Calls on CDFA to accelerate natural carbon removal and build climate resilience in agricultural soils.
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AB 2377 (Irwin)
Created a technical assistance program at CDFA to assist farmers applying to HSP, SWEEP, and AMMP.
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Launch of the Healthy Soils Program (HSP)
Provides grants to farmers and ranchers to use practices that reduce GHGs and sequester carbon in soils and woody plants and partner with researchers for on-farm demonstrations and research.
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SB 732 (Stern)
Encourages local governments to identify and prioritize agricultural lands for farmland conservation and identify land suitable for urban in-fill development.
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SB 5 (De León)
Includes investments in the agriculture chapter of a natural bond measure (Proposition 68) that was put on the June 2018 ballot and passed by voters.
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SB 252 (Dodd)
Requires local governments in critically overdrafted groundwater basins to request additional information on new well permits and make the information publicly available.
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Launch of the Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation (SALC) Program
Funds agricultural easements to permanently preserve farmland at risk of development.
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Launch of the State Water Efficiency & Enhancement Program (SWEEP)
Executive order launches SWEEP to fund on-farm water and energy use efficiency projects.
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AB 1532 (Perez)
Includes sustainable agriculture as an eligible funding area for cap-and-trade investment.
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SB 594 (Wolk)
Established the Net Energy Metering Aggregation program to allow renewable energy produced on one meter to be credited against electricity use on other meters of the same customer.
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AB 2174 (Alejo)
Reformed the Fertilizer Research and Education Program (FREP) by allowing technical assistance projects as an eligible category of funding.
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SB 489, Renewable Energy Equity Act (Wolk)
Expanded the state’s Net Energy Metering program to include small scale bioenergy projects and improve grid connection options for farmers.