Bill to Monitor Human Rights, Environmental, and GHG Impact of California Oil Imports Reintroduced

Senator Shannon Grove reintroduced a bill to monitor the human rights and environmental standards of countries that export oil to California and to report the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the transportation of oil in California. SB 13 follows identical versions of the bill introduced in December 2022 and February 2024.

As with the past bills, the bill would express the intent of the legislature to require the California Energy Commission (CEC) to monitor foreign countries that export oil to California and identify which of those countries have demonstrated human rights abuses as documented by the United States Department of State or by human rights organizations.

The CEC would also be required to monitor and identify those countries that have environmental standards for oil production that are lower than California standards. The CEC would be required to publish this information on its website.

The bill would also require the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to publish an annual assessment of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the transportation of oil in California. The assessment would include the GHG emissions associated with the transportation of oil imported into the state during the previous year broken down by the country of origin and for the transportation of oil produced within the state during the previous year.

CARB would also be required to publish a report on the air quality impact of potentially importing 5% to 10% of the state’s gasoline supply using tanker ships.