With minor issues like a $20 billion budget deficit still looming, a California legislative committee has taken a major progressive step forward on a far more important issue to protect the entire state’s precious environment.

In a stunning 6-4 vote that drew remarkably little attention outside the committee room, the state Senate’s Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications has passed an almost pioneering measure that would allow California’s many millions of telephone subscribers to opt out of receiving annual telephone books, a right that many citizens may have thought they already possessed without legislative authorization.

The bill was introduced by Sen. Leland Yee of the Bay area who is, of course, a Democrat.

“At a time when Californians are looking for ways to reduce our carbon footprint,” Yee said, “we should give them that choice.”

That choice had been taken away from citizens by previous legislators allegedly protecting said citizens by mandating phone book delivery to everyone.