Sacramento Standard

Senator Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) announced the passage of two bills to encourage the ethical use of energy in California.

Senate Bill 1087, which passed the Senate Energy Committee by a 17-0 vote, aims to promote the production of environmentally responsible oil in California.

Regarding the ethical use of cobalt in electric vehicles, Senator Grove emphasized, "Most of the cobalt used in electric vehicle batteries is mined by children in the Congo, some as young as 6 years old." She added, "At a bare minimum, I think we can all agree forced child labor is wrong. California cannot continue to put their green energy goals ahead of the health and safety of children in foreign nations. My bill would ensure that we are ethically sourcing the cobalt that goes into the production of vehicles purchased by the state."

The second bill, Senate Bill 1239, passed the Senate Governmental Organization Committee by a 15-0 vote. This bill focuses on ensuring that suppliers of electric vehicles to the State of California certify that the raw materials, including cobalt and lithium, in zero-emission vehicles purchased by the state come from child-labor free mining enterprises.

Senator Grove also highlighted the importance of reducing California's dependence on oil imports, stating, "Much of the oil we import could be replaced by California’s in-state producers, providing California jobs if we were allowed to expand production."

Both bills will proceed to the Senate Appropriations Committee for further consideration in May.