Jerry Brown and state lawmakers are rebooting an effort to pass a new tax to attack unsafe drinking water in California.
After calling off a plan in June to apply a mandatory tax on water bills, the governor is backing a new pair of bills that would apply a voluntary levy on ratepayers to fund safe drinking water projects.
protected by reCAPTCHA Privacy – Terms Privacy – Terms “These bills are now the Legislature’s best opportunity to bring clean and safe drinking water to the nearly 1 million Californians who cannot drink the water that comes out of their faucets,” said Monning, a Carmel Democrat.
The state has reported that more than 1 million residents face potential exposure to unsafe water, largely in low-income communities without the funding to fix the problems.
SB 845 establishes the voluntary tax on water bills and would only require support from a majority of state lawmakers.
Related stories from Sacramento Bee California’s biggest environmental challenges?
Water.
Political hot air.
360,000 Californians have unsafe drinking water.
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