 The California Air
Resources Board (ARB) has
released a draft report on proposed early actions to mitigate greenhouse gases
in California,
consistent with the landmark Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 signed
by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on September 27, 2006. "The impact of greenhouse
gases on the world's climate is an urgent problem that calls for prompt action,"
said ARB Chairman Dr. Robert F. Sawyer. "Discrete early action measures will get that process
started while we work on more comprehensive solutions." The Act
mandates that California's
greenhouse gas emissions be reduced to 1990 levels by 2020, an ambitious 25%
percent cut in emissions compared to business as usual.
The Air Resources Board
must adopt a comprehensive blueprint for achieving that goal by the end of 2008
and complete the necessary rulemaking to implement that plan by the end of
2011. In the meantime, the Act requires "discrete early action
measures" to ensure
steady progress in mitigating climate change. As narrowly defined in the law,
the discrete early actions must be regulations, adopted and enforceable no
later than January 1, 2010. However, there are many other near-term
actions underway at ARB that will contribute to the State's ultimate goal.
Friday's early action report identifies three specific greenhouse gas control
rules to be adopted and enforced before January 1, 2010, along with 36 other
climate protecting measures the Board is initiating between now and 2011. The
report divides early actions into three categories:
•Group 1 - GHG rules for immediate adoption and
implementation
•Group 2 - Additional GHG measures underway between 2007-2009
•Group 3 - Air pollution controls with potential climate co-benefits
Specifically the new rules would require that the carbon content of gasoline be
reduced by 10 percent, something Schwarzenegger called for this year in an
executive order he signed
Updating energy-efficiency standards for new homes and businesses
Requiring that replacement tires for vehicles meet the same efficiency
standards that tires on new cars must meet
Forcing cement makers to change the
composition of cement to a mix that releases fewer emissions when it is made. These three regulations
are proposed to meet the narrow legal definition of "discrete early action
GHG reduction measures": a low-carbon fuel standard, reduction of
refrigerant losses from motor vehicle air conditioning system maintenance, and
increased methane capture from landfills. A public workshop to discuss the
draft report will be held today in Sacramento.
After gathering public comments, staff will develop a final staff report for
presentation to ARB's Governing Board at its June 20-21, 2007 hearing.
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