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. — In case you missed it, the Los Angeles Times recently highlighted U.S. Senator Alex Padilla’s (D-Calif.) package of three bipartisan bills to strengthen wildfire resilience and rebuilding efforts in response to the devastating Southern California wildfires. Padilla...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — As devastating wildfires rage across Southern California, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) introduced a package of three bipartisan bills to strengthen wildfire resilience and rebuilding efforts. The package includes the Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act to protect...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) questioned Secretary of the Interior nominee Doug Burgum on his support for wildfire aid for California and increased wildland firefighter pay during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing. As...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In case you missed it, the Los Angeles Times recently highlighted U.S. Senator Alex Padilla’s (D-Calif.) package of three bipartisan bills to strengthen wildfire resilience and rebuilding efforts in response to the devastating Southern California wildfires. Padilla...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — As devastating wildfires rage across Southern California, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) introduced a package of three bipartisan bills to strengthen wildfire resilience and rebuilding efforts. The package includes the Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act to protect...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) questioned Secretary of the Interior nominee Doug Burgum on his support for wildfire aid for California and increased wildland firefighter pay during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing. As...
Padilla: “Whether it’s wildfires across the western United States, or tornados in the Midwest, ice storms in Texas, or hurricanes in the Southeast, Mother Nature doesn’t distinguish between red states and blue states. And neither should our disaster response efforts.”...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) questioned U.S. Secretary of Energy nominee Chris Wright in a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing amid the devastating ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles. The wildfires have destroyed more than...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.) celebrated President Biden’s official signing of proclamations to establish the Chuckwalla and Sáttítla Highlands National Monuments in California under the Antiquities Act of 1906. The new Chuckwalla National...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Representatives Juan Vargas (D-Calif.-52), Scott Peters (D-Calif.-50), Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.-51), and Mike Levin (D-Calif.-49) announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will investigate the public health impacts...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.) led 47 bipartisan members of the California Congressional delegation in urging President Biden to grant Governor Gavin Newsom’s request for a major disaster declaration in response to...
Padilla’s efforts have helped protect nearly 1 million acres of California’s public lands WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) issued the following statement after President Biden announced he will establish the Sáttítla National Monument in northern California using his authority under...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) issued the following statement after President Biden announced he will establish the Chuckwalla National Monument in eastern Imperial and Riverside counties using his authority under the Antiquities Act of 1906: “Establishing the Chuckwalla National...