OAKLAND, Calif. (May 3, 2016)—Senate Bill 1161, the California Climate Science Truth and Accountability Act, passed its second major legislative test today in the California Senate Judiciary Committee. The bill by Sen. Ben Allen (Santa Monica)—which is sponsored by the Union of Concerned Scientists—would extend the statute of limitations for companies that knowingly deceive the public about the risks of climate change. The committee passed the bill 4-2. The deadline for consideration on the full Senate floor is Friday, June 3.

Below is a statement by Jason Barbose, Western States Policy Manager, Union of Concerned Scientists.

“Today’s vote by California senators is part of an expanding nationwide effort to uncover the truth about the fossil fuel industry’s decades-long effort to confuse and deceive the public about the science of climate change. There is clearly growing public momentum to hold these companies accountable for their decades of deception.”