Gov. Newsom Signs Sen. McNerney’s Bill to Boost Green Hydrogen, a Clean-Energy Gamechanger

July 06, 2026

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(Office of California State Sen. Jerry McNerney (05)) Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday night signed Sen. Jerry McNerney’s SB 1350, groundbreaking legislation that significantly expands the use of green hydrogen, a clean-energy gamechanger.

SB 1350 allows natural gas power plants to use hydrogen made from renewable resources like wind and solar under California’s world-leading clean energy standards as the facilities transition away from fossil fuels.

SB 1350 won unanimous approval in the state Senate earlier Monday on a vote of 38-0, after the state Assembly approved the bill on a 74-0 vote. SB 1350 takes effect immediately and is the first such law in the nation.

“California is a world leader in clean energy thanks to solar and wind power and large-scale battery storage. But we won’t achieve 100% renewable energy by 2045 by relying on those sources alone. SB 1350 adds green hydrogen to the mix,” Sen. McNerney said. “Green hydrogen will help us meet our climate goals, and it will protect good-paying jobs throughout the state.”

“With SB 1350 now signed into law, California is reinforcing its commitment to innovation, clean energy, and economic development,” said Assemblymember Juan Carrillo, D-Palmdale, principal co-author of SB 1350. “I was proud to serve as a principal co-author of this legislation because I've seen firsthand how hydrogen investment is transforming communities like in my district in Lancaster, which has become a global leader in hydrogen development through California's first public hydrogen utility. With the Governor’s signature today, we’re ensuring California remains at the forefront of hydrogen innovation."

SB 1350 was co-sponsored by the Green Hydrogen Coalition and State Building and Construction Trades Council.

“Governor Newsom's signing of SB 1350 is a landmark step toward securing California's clean energy future,” said Janice Lin, founder and president of the Green Hydrogen Coalition. “By recognizing the critical role that renewable hydrogen can play in providing reliable, zero-carbon electricity, this legislation gives utilities, developers, and investors the confidence to move forward with the next generation of dispatchable clean power.”

“We thank Senator McNerney for his leadership in championing SB 1350 and its technical fix to the Renewable Portfolio Standard Guidebook,” said Chris Hannan, president of the State Building and Construction Trades Council. “By enabling electricity generated using qualifying hydrogen, SB 1350 will support new production opportunities in California. This expanded hydrogen supply will help decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors and create thousands of union construction jobs.”

For more information on SB 1350, please go here.

Sen. Jerry McNerney is chair of the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee, and his 5th Senate District includes all of San Joaquin County and Alameda County’s Tri-Valley. READ MORE

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Governor Newsom Signs SB 1350, Expanding Use of Renewable Hydrogen in the Power Sector (Green Hydrogen Coalition)

Excerpt from Green Hydrogen Coalition: The Green Hydrogen Coalition (GHC) is proud to announce that Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1350 into law Monday night, June 29, after the bill unanimously passed both the California State Assembly and the State Senate earlier that day. SB 1350 was co-sponsored by the GHC and the State Building and Construction Trades Council.

Introduced by Senator Jerry McNerney, with principal coauthors Senators Bob Archuleta and Suzette Valladares and Assemblymember Juan Carrillo, SB 1350 directs the California Energy Commission to recognize renewable hydrogen-fueled turbines within the state's Renewable Portfolio Standard framework, creating an important long-term market signal to support investment in renewable hydrogen production and infrastructure.

The legislation includes guardrails around the production and deployment of renewable hydrogen, such as requiring the hydrogen produced to be from an already RPS-eligible renewable resource through water and renewable electricity, biomass, or biogas. Enacted as an urgency statute, the law went into effect immediately upon the Governor's signature. This revision to the RPS Guidebook will now provide Californians with another renewable long-duration energy tool in the toolbox: renewable hydrogen.

Senator McNerney, the bill's author, described the significance of the new law:

“California is a world leader in clean energy thanks to solar and wind power and large-scale battery storage. But we won’t achieve 100% renewable energy by 2045 by relying on those sources alone. SB 1350 adds green hydrogen to the mix. Green hydrogen will help us meet our climate goals, and it will protect good-paying jobs throughout the state.”

Assemblymember Juan Carrillo, a principal coauthor of the bill, pointed to the impact in his own district:

“With SB 1350 now signed into law, California is reinforcing its commitment to innovation, clean energy, and economic development. I was proud to serve as a principal co-author of this legislation because I've seen firsthand how hydrogen investment is transforming communities like in my district in Lancaster, which has become a global leader in hydrogen development through California's first public hydrogen utility. With the Governor’s signature today, we’re ensuring California remains at the forefront of hydrogen innovation.”

Janice Lin, Founder, President, & Interim Executive Director of the Green Hydrogen Coalition, reflected on what the signing means for the organization's work:

“Governor Newsom's signing of SB 1350 is a landmark step toward securing California's clean energy future. By recognizing the critical role that renewable hydrogen can play in providing reliable, zero-carbon electricity, this legislation gives utilities, developers, and investors the confidence to move forward with the next generation of dispatchable clean power.”

Chris Hannan, president of the State Building and Construction Trades Council, which co-sponsored the bill alongside the GHC, credited the senator's work on the measure:

“We thank Senator McNerney for his leadership in championing SB 1350 and its technical fix to the Renewable Portfolio Standard Guidebook. By enabling electricity generated using qualifying hydrogen, SB 1350 will support new production opportunities in California. This expanded hydrogen supply will help decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors and create thousands of union construction jobs.”

This policy change is the culmination of years of work by the GHC at the state and regulatory level, geared toward providing renewable hydrogen developers and end-users with the policy framework necessary for renewable hydrogen to scale and be fully utilized in California’s power sector. GHC would like to thank Senator McNerney, Assemblymember Carrillo, the Governor, the Legislature, the State Building Trades, Element Resources, Alfredo Arredondo, and all the stakeholders who worked to bring this fully realized policy to law.

About Green Hydrogen Coalition    

The Green Hydrogen Coalition (GHC) sponsored Senate Bill 1350, which brings legislative direction to California's Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) Guidebook. GHC describes SB 1350 as a no-cost policy option intended to spur development of green hydrogen, create and sustain union jobs, strengthen grid reliability, and give California more renewable energy and fuel options amid price shocks, supply disruptions, and global instability.

The GHC is an educational 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on advancing clean and renewable hydrogen to accelerate multi-sector decarbonization and combat climate change. Its donors include foundations, end users, developers, utilities, and other supporters of a reliable, affordable, clean renewable hydrogen fuel economy. READ MORE