The California Air Resources Board (CARB) set a course today to reduce California’s greenhouse gas emissions by 30% over the next 12 years.
The Board released its draft plan outlining measures and policies meant to incentivize clean energy technology, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create thousands of new green jobs in the state.
Development of the plan was a requirement of AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, that calls on California to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. Governor Schwarzenegger signed the bill into law in September 2006.
Central to the draft plan is a cap and trade program covering 85% of the state’s emissions. This program will be developed in conjunction with the Western Climate Initiative, comprised of seven states and three Canadian provinces, to create a regional carbon market.
The draft plan also proposes that utilities produce a third of their energy from renewable sources such as wind, solar and geothermal, and proposes to expand and strengthen existing energy efficiency programs and building and appliance standards.
The draft plan calls for full implementation of the California Clean Car law to provide a wide range of less polluting and more efficient cars and trucks to consumers who will save on operating costs through reduced fuel use. It also calls for development and implementation of the Low Carbon Fuel Standard, which will require oil companies to make cleaner domestically produced fuels.
The draft plan also encourages improvements to the way communities are built to make more livable, walkable cities, and shorten commutes.
"Our economy and our society face no greater threat than global warming. This draft plan is the roadmap to move us quickly to a cleaner, more sustainable future, energy independence and a healthier environmentsaid Mary Nichols, Chairman of the Air Resources Board. "This plan fulfills the Governor’s determination to act now, and it is based on the conviction that Californians will rise to the challenge and develop creative solutions to improve our environment and grow our economy."
Several additional initiatives and measures play important roles in reaching the required reductions under AB 32. They include:
- full deployment of the Governor’s Million Solar Roofs initiative
- a high-speed rail
- water-related energy efficiency measures
- and a range of regulations to reduce emissions from trucks and from ships docked in California ports.
The plan also calls on Californians to make changes to their personal behavior to reduce their carbon footprint through carpooling and simple actions such as adjusting thermostats to use less energy for heating and cooling.
CARB is now inviting public comment on the draft plan. Once the final draft is prepared, it will go to the Board for consideration in November.
Preliminary economic modeling of the plan indicates that the overall savings from improved efficiency and the development of alternatives to petroleum will on the whole outweigh the costs.
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