Energy and Environment

Alex is determined to fight the existential threat of climate change. Having grown up in a low-income, heavily polluted neighborhood, he is dedicated to ensuring that every family has access to clean air and clean water. He served for six years as Chair of the California State Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities, and Communications, where he led the development of California’s ambitious renewable energy and climate policies that now serve as a model for the rest of the country. Alex’s environmental leadership has continued in the U.S. Senate. In addition to cosponsoring the Green New Deal, Alex introduced sweeping legislation to electrify our nation’s school buses and protect over one million acres of public lands in California, increasing access to nature and preserving California’s natural treasures for generations to come.

Alex understands the threat that increasingly frequent and catastrophic natural disasters and extreme weather events pose to California and the Western United States. That’s why he fought to secure millions of dollars in federal funding for flood control infrastructure to protect communities from catastrophic floods and rising sea levels. His bill the POWER ON Act was signed into law by President Biden to prevent utility outages caused by natural disasters like wildfires and other extreme weather events. And while California continues to face the threat of devastating wildfires, Alex led the successful passage of the FIRE Act, to modernize the way FEMA prepares for and responds to wildfires.

Recent News

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Senate passed U.S. Senator Alex Padilla’s (D-Calif.) amendment to bolster the FireGuard program, which utilizes military satellites to help fight wildfires, as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025. The...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) issued the following statement after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved waivers for two California clean vehicle regulations that will allow the state to significantly reduce pollution from passenger cars and...
Investment marks the final tranche of funding required to complete the South Bay IWTP upgrade project WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Chair of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife, announced...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Senate passed U.S. Senator Alex Padilla’s (D-Calif.) amendment to bolster the FireGuard program, which utilizes military satellites to help fight wildfires, as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025. The...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) issued the following statement after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved waivers for two California clean vehicle regulations that will allow the state to significantly reduce pollution from passenger cars and...
Investment marks the final tranche of funding required to complete the South Bay IWTP upgrade project WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Chair of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife, announced...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded 15 California projects a combined $216.5 million to advance local, on-the-ground projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and strengthen workforce development. The...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) applauded the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) announcement of $135.2 million to help 12 California recipients purchase a combined 455 zero-emission vehicles. The funding comes from the Inflation Reduction Act as part...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) announced that the Senate passed their bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) through Fiscal Year 2028. Senate passage of the bill comes after a...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — As California communities recover from a devastating summer wildfire season, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) successfully secured unanimous passage of the Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act. The bill includes Padilla’s bipartisan legislation to provide critical tax relief for...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife, and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) introduced bipartisan legislation that will reduce flood risks and bolster emergency preparedness by...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) announced that the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) advanced 10 bills he introduced to conserve California public lands, mitigate wildfire risk, expand the use of prescribed fire, strengthen...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — This week, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and California Governor Gavin Newsom met with senior Biden-Harris Administration officials to advocate for critical clean air and water safeguards, disaster relief funding, and public land protections in the final...