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

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, issued the following statement after the Trump Administration announced that it would terminate Yosemite’s reservation system: “After already scaling back...
Padilla and Schiff secure federal funding for Watsonville and Pajaro’s flood protection efforts to protect residents, businesses, and infrastructure WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.) announced that they secured $54 million in federal funding for the...
Padilla and Schiff secure federal funding to support Oceanside’s flood mitigation efforts, to protect residents, businesses, and infrastructure  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.) announced that they have secured $26 million in federal funding for the San Luis Rey...
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, issued the following statement after the Trump Administration announced that it would terminate Yosemite’s reservation system: “After already scaling back...
Padilla and Schiff secure federal funding for Watsonville and Pajaro’s flood protection efforts to protect residents, businesses, and infrastructure WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.) announced that they secured $54 million in federal funding for the...
Padilla and Schiff secure federal funding to support Oceanside’s flood mitigation efforts, to protect residents, businesses, and infrastructure  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.) announced that they have secured $26 million in federal funding for the San Luis Rey...
Senators to Zeldin: “Presidential policy preferences do not give EPA carte blanche to bypass statutory mandates to engage in good faith with sound science and public input in favor of predetermined outcomes.” WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and...
ePermit Act would digitize the permitting process across federal agencies WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), John Curtis (R-Utah), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Dave McCormick (R-Pa.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), and Ted Budd (R-N.C.) introduced...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) announced that the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) advanced his bipartisan legislation to support Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program (LCR MSCP) activities. The bill passed out of...
MORE WATER Act and GROW SMART Act would fund water recycling projects, water conveyance, habitat restoration, and innovative water-saving projects WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, introduced a...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to deliver more funding to protect the Lake Tahoe Basin with no new costs to taxpayers. Representative...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, joined Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and 10 other Senators in sounding the alarm over the Trump Administration’s so-called “modernization” plans for...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff’s (both D-Calif.) resolution to observe the one-year anniversary of the Palisades and Eaton wildfires and honor the survivors, the lives lost, and the first responders who risked their lives to protect those Los Angeles communities. The resolution also emphasizes the importance of continued...