Thu 11 Dec 2008
Calif. considers tough greenhouse gas restrictions
Posted by admin under Climate Change , Environment , State 1 CommentCalifornia’s utilities, refineries and large factories must transform their operations to cut greenhouse gas emissions as part of a new climate plan before state regulators.
The California Air Resources Board is expected Thursday to adopt what would be the nation’s most sweeping global warming plan, outlining for the first time how individuals and businesses would meet a landmark 2006 law that made the state a leader on global climate change reports the Associated Press in the San Francisco Chronicle.
It would hold California’s worst polluters accountable for the heat-trapping emissions they produce – transforming how people travel, utilities generate power and businesses use electricity.
At the heart of the plan is the future creation of a carbon-credit market designed to give the state’s major polluters cheaper ways to cut emissions.
If adopted, the plan would set clear strategies for how the country’s most populous state plans to cut emissions at a time many governments around the world are struggling with a financial crisis that threatens to undermine efforts to fight climate change.
California’s 2006 law, called the Global Warming Solutions Act but commonly referred to as AB32, mandates the state cut emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.
The strategy chosen by air regulators relies on 31 new regulations affecting all facets of life, from what fuels Californians put in their vehicles to what kind of air conditioners businesses put in their buildings.
The average Californian, for example, could expect to pay to have their car tires inflated during oil changes and have higher power bills as utilities try to increase their use of renewable energy.
They could also see more fuel efficient cars at dealerships, better public transportation, housing near schools and businesses, and utility rebates to equip their homes to be more energy efficient.
New fees and reporting requirements would accompany the emission rules.
Finding the right ways to implement California’s target has not been without controversy.
Republicans, small businesses and major industries that would be forced to change their operations beginning in 2012 say jobs could be lost, companies might leave the state and energy prices would skyrocket.
Read more here: Calif. considers tough greenhouse gas restrictions
December 11th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
The GREAT global warming hoax continues unabated! Big Brother – Arnold and his cohorts in Sacramento- in the legislature, as well as the environmental extremists – will now control even more areas of one’s life – and with a gigantic cost increase for John Q Public. The creation of the carbon-credit market is, in some ways, analogous to the sub prime mortgage scam that eventually has driven the country AND THE WORLD into recession. Fasten your seat belts AND YOUR WALLETS [if there is anything left]!