A bill by state Sen. Jenny Oropeza that would curb a greenhouse gas previously thought safe for the environment cleared the state Assembly's Natural Resources Committee today, her spokesman said.
Senate Bill 104 would give the California Air Resources Board, or CARB, the authority to regulate nitrogen trifluoride, or NF3, which is considered more harmful to the environment than carbon dioxide.
Oropeza's bill is a follow-up to another assembly bill designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in California.
That measure, however, did not address NF3, which at the time was thought to be a clean alternative to gases used in manufacturing televisions, solar panels and microprocessors.
However, in 2008, a UC Irvine study concluded that NF3 has a global-warming potential 17,000 times greater than carbon dioxide, according to Oropeza's office.
Further, a UC San Diego study found that, contrary to industry claims, a larger amount of NF3 has been released into the air than had previous been believed.
Several environmental and scientific organizations are supporting SB 104, including the Sierra Club and the National Parks Conservation Association.
The bill has passed the Senate.
SB 104 is headed to the Assembly Appropriations Committee for review. A date has not yet been set.
