Comment Log Display

I am grateful to the Union of Concerned Scientists for leading a
movement to keep global warming on the front burner in CA politics.
 So I thank our state officials for taking global warming seriously
and developing a plan to reduce global warming pollution while at
the same time creating jobs and making California a healthier and
more prosperous place to live. The proposed program will decrease
global warming emissions from the state’s largest polluters and
establish a market price on these emissions. This program is one of
many policies CARB is using to reach the state’s goal of reducing
global warming emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, along with
renewable energy, energy efficiency, and cleaner transportation
standards.
Parts of the proposal are strong, such as setting a limit that
declines each year, and setting a minimum price on carbon
pollution. This steady price signal will help businesses make
long-term investments in strategies to reduce global warming
emissions.
Bur the UCS (whose recommendations I follow) recommends that the
program be strengthened by requiring more of the state’s largest
polluters to pay for their global warming emissions instead of
giving permits away for free. By forcing polluters to pay for the
emissions they generate by purchasing permits in an auction, we can
then re-invest the auction funds into efforts that will help us
transition to a cleaner economy and help lower energy costs for
Californians—such as making homes and businesses more energy
efficient, increasing public transit options, and developing wind
and solar projects in California.