Global Warming Trailblazer, Former Legislator Fran Pavley Joins NRDC

An Unparalleled Opportunity to Spread the Word about an Unavoidable Issue
LOS ANGELES (February 2, 2007) -- Fran Pavley, the former California State Assemblywoman who led the charge to pass two of America’s first and most significant global warming laws, has joined the staff of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) as a Senior Climate Advisor, the organization announced today. Pavley will be working part-time out of NRDC’s Santa Monica office and traveling around the U.S. helping state legislators and others develop climate action solutions.
 
“Joining NRDC is an unparalleled opportunity to spread the word about global warming, at a moment when it has become the unavoidable issue in our political debate,” said Fran Pavley. “And I will be working with some of the foremost environmental experts in the world.”
 
Pavley wrote Assembly Bill (AB) 32, known as the “Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006.” It requires California, the world’s sixth-biggest economy, to cut statewide global warming emissions back to 1990 levels by 2020, a reduction of about 25 percent off current projections. The measure is poised to serve as the prototype for similar initiatives in other states as well as at the federal level.
 
“Fran Pavley is one of the main reasons why California continues to play a leadership role on global warming issues,” said NRDC president Frances Beinecke. “She brings to NRDC a fundamental commitment to the environment and to a clean and secure energy future.”
 
Pavley also authored AB 1493, the Clean Cars Bill, requiring automakers to reduce global warming emissions from new cars and trucks sold in California by 30 percent by 2016. So far, eleven states and Canada have established similar legislation.
 
Before joining the State Assembly, Fran Pavley served as the mayor of Agoura Hills, in Southern California. She and her husband were middle school teachers in nearby school districts for nearly 30 years. After being elected, Pavley returned to college and earned a Master’s Degree in Environmental Planning.