Twain Harte, CA…Senator Tom Berryhill, R-Twain Harte, issued the following statement Monday in support for AB-398, a bill to extend the state’s cap-and-trade program for a decade while reducing taxes, fees and regulations by more than $16 billion dollars. “This legislation is the unfortunate result of years of aggressive climate-change policies forced on us by the coastal elites who run Sacramento. But instead of sitting on the sideline and watching everything go off a cliff, I was able to ensure farmers, small-business owners and rural Californians were well-represented and protected in the negotiation.

“Cap and trade fills a void created by onerous policies, a void that would otherwise be filled by regulations written by out-of-touch, unaccountable bureaucrats – the exact people I came to Sacramento to rein in.

“As an added bonus, this bill suspends the illegal fire tax and keeps Sacramento Democrats from increasing taxes on gas by substantially more than one dollar per gallon. Again, this bill is not perfect, but it is more reasonable after a bipartisan negotiation. I am very pleased to have given farmers, small-business owners and rural Californians a voice in the negotiation of a measure that would have been passed one way or another.”