By Hector Gonzalez, Santa Monica Lookout.

A bill by Santa Monica-area state Sen. Ben Allen that requires sellers of natural gas to switch to greener products has passed a key committee, his office announced.

Senate Bill (SB) 687 passed the Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee last week on a vote of 7 to 3. It now goes to the Senate Environmental Quality Committee for a hearing on April 29.

“California is a leader in efforts to combat climate change, but our gas usage has been left out of the equation until now,” said Allen, D-Santa Monica. “

This legislation aims to reduce the harmful impact the natural gas sector, which is a major contributor to global warming, by shifting to more clean and green forms of gas that are readily available.”