AB 32 Scoping Plan
This page last reviewed April 3, 2013
In 2006, AB 32
required the California Air Resources Board (ARB or Board) to develop a
Scoping Plan that describes the approach California will take to reduce
greenhouse gases (GHG) to achieve the goal of reducing emissions to
1990 levels by 2020. The Scoping Plan was first approved by the Board
in 2008 and must be updated every five years to evaluate the mix of AB
32 policies to ensure that California is on track to achieve the 2020
GHG reduction goal. In early 2013, ARB will initiate activities to
update the AB 32 Scoping Plan.
2013 Update to AB 32 Scoping Plan
The 2013 AB 32 Scoping Plan update will define ARB’s climate change
priorities for the next five years and lay the groundwork to reach
post-2020 goals set forth in Executive Orders S-3-05 and B-16-2012. The update will
highlight California’s progress toward meeting the “near-term” 2020 GHG
emission reduction goals defined in the original Scoping Plan
(2008).
It will also evaluate how to align the State's longer-term GHG
reduction strategies with other State policy priorities, such as for
water, waste, natural resources, clean energy and transportation, and land use.
To address the State's near-term and longer-term GHG goals, the update will have both a 2020 element and the post-2020 element. The 2020 element will focus on State, regional, and local initiatives that are being implemented now to assist us in meeting the 2020 goal. The post-2020 element will provide a high level view of a long-term strategy for meeting the 2050 GHG goals.
What are the key focus areas for the update?
ARB
plans to focus on five key topics areas for the post-2020 element.
These include: 1) transportation, fuels, and infrastructure; 2) energy
generation, transmission, and efficiency; 3) waste; 4) water; and 5)
agriculture.
What activities are occurring in 2013?
In spring 2013, ARB plans to hold initial public workshops in coordination with local air and transportation agencies to discuss preliminary concepts for updating the Scoping Plan and to gain local/regional perspective on both progress and future direction for California’s climate change programs. In summer 2013, ARB expects to release a preliminary draft of the 2013 update to the AB 32 Scoping Plan for public review and comment. In fall 2013, ARB expects to bring an updated Scoping Plan document to the Board for consideration.
Resources
2013 Schedule
- Spring 2013: Public Workshops
- Summer 2013: Draft Report
- Fall 2013: Board Meeting
What is the status of AB 32 implementation?
Since 2006, ARB has been implementing the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32). Many of the GHG reduction measures (e.g. low carbon fuel standard, advanced clean car standards, cap-and-trade) have been adopted over the last five years and implementation activities have already begun. California is getting real reductions to put us on track for reducing GHGs to achieve the AB 32 goal of getting back to 1990 levels by 2020.
Background
The original AB 32 Scoping Plan (2008) contains the main strategies California will
use to reduce the greenhouse gases (GHG) that cause climate change. The
original Scoping Plan has a range of GHG reduction actions which include direct
regulations, alternative compliance mechanisms, monetary and
non-monetary incentives, voluntary
actions, market-based mechanisms
such as a cap-and-trade
system, and an AB 32 program implementation regulation
to fund the program. These measures have been introduced
through four workshops
between November 30, 2007 and April 17, 2008. A
draft scoping plan was released for public review and comment on June
26, 2008 followed by more workshops in July and August, 2008.
The proposed
scoping plan was released on October 15, 2008 and
approved at the Board hearing on December 12, 2008. In August 2011, the Scoping Plan was
re-approved by the Board, and includes the Final
Supplement to the Scoping Plan Functional Equivalent Document (FED).
