The emissions disclosure legislation cleared the assembly Monday night in a 41-20 vote, after passing the full Senate earlier this year. The bill would require thousands of public and private businesses operating in the Golden State that make more than $1 billion annually to report their indirect and direct emissions.
Significantly, the both public and private companies report so-called"Scope 3" emissions, which are those included in a business's value chain or in the use of its products — a crucial consideration for energy companies. While the bill has become one of the most high-profile climate bills in the state and has racked up support from major companies such as Google and Apple, a number of business groups have come out in opposition of the bill, arguing that it’s too burdensome.The bill would still need final approval of the state Senate before it can reach the governor’s desk.
The policy would require more than 5,300 companies to report their emissions, according to Ceres, a nonprofit policy group supporting the bill. The measure appears to go significant beyond a proposal from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to require public companies to disclose emissions. The proposed rule mandates disclosures for Scope 1 and 2 emissions, which are emissions generated by a company’s own operations and through the energy it purchases.