We are
concerned that the Draft Scoping Plan fails to meet, let alone
accelerate, our 2030 or 2045 climate targets or increase the pace
of California’s actions beyond existing commitments. In fact,
California is severely off-track to cut emissions 40% in that time:
based on CARB’s most recently available statewide emissions
estimates, we will need to triple or quadruple our rate of
reductions immediately and maintain that pace going forward in
order to comply with the law.
But rather
than highlighting this gap to help legislators and the public
understand the urgent need for additional action, CARB merely
assumes that the gap will be filled through the Cap and Trade
program, without explaining or assessing whether the program is up
to the task or how it must adapt in order to play this crucial
role.
We strongly
believe California should lead by example and set the pace for the
rest of the nation. Environmental Justice communities, from Richmond to
Riverside, have been historically exposed to elevated levels of
pollution and left behind when it comes to action on climate
change. Unfortunately, the current draft scoping plan continues to
exacerbate this history.
We demand that CARB incorporates:
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A full phaseout of fossil fuels
by 2045. We must end oil
extraction by 2035, phase out oil refining by 2045, phase out gas
fired power plants by 2035, eliminate gas appliances by 2030, and
decommission the gas distribution system by 2045.
-
More clean cars,
trucks, and mass transit for working class Californians. Transition to
100% zero-emission vehicles by 2035 and lower the amount of vehicle
miles traveled by 30% by 2035.
-
A transition to
clean, renewable,
zero-emissions electricity by 2035 with retirement of all gas plants and no
new gas plants.
-
Minimize reliance
on carbon capture and storage and other climate dead ends.
Communities that have been impacted by the dirty fossil
fuel system are demanding that CARB prioritize direct emissions
reductions instead of dead ends that continue to dirty the air we
breathe.
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