On June 26, 2008, California’s Air Resources Board (ARB) unveiled a draft Scoping Plan designed to reduce state greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 as mandated by The Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, AB 32. The plan outlines a variety of strategies for achieving the required reductions. Key features of the plan include developing a state cap-and-trade program that will link to the Western Climate Initiative’s forthcoming regional cap-and-trade program, increasing California’s renewable portfolio standard from 20 by 2010 to 33 percent by 2020, establishing new vehicle efficiency standards, setting higher building and appliance efficiency standards, and implementing a low carbon fuel standard. The full suite of proposed strategies can be found in the draft Scoping Plan.
The ARB is scheduled to vote on the Scoping Plan in November 2008 after a series of public workshops. Once adopted, the mechanisms are scheduled to be in place by 2012.
ARB Scoping Plan [1]
AB 32 [2]
Links:
[1] http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/scopingplan/document/draftscopingplan.htm
[2] http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/05-06/bill/asm/ab_0001-0050/ab_32_bill_20060927_chaptered.pdf