AB 32 – CALIFORNIA CLIMATE ACT OF 2006
ASSEMBLY MEMBER FRAN PAVLEY
PRINCIPAL CO-AUTHOR: NATION
CO-AUTHORS: ASSEMBLY MEMBERS; BERG, CHAN, HANCOCK, KORETZ, LAIRD, LENO,
SALDAÑA; SENATOR SIMITIAN
IN BRIEF
Global warming from human sources is
predicted to have a potentially
devastating impact on California’s
economy, environment, and public
health if aggressive action is not taken
in the near future to reduce greenhouse
gas (GHG) emissions, primarily carbon
dioxide. Previous legislation, AB 1493
(Pavley, Chapter 400, Statutes of 2002),
mandates the reduction of greenhouse
gases from cars and light-duty trucks.
The main stationary sources of
greenhouse gases in California come
from the utility, oil and gas, and waste
sectors as well as from other
commercial sources.
AB 32 directs the California
Environmental Protection Agency to
implement regulations for a cap on
stationary sources of GHG emissions.
The bill requires that CAL/EPA develop
regulations to reduce emissions with an
enforcement mechanism to ensure the
reductions are achieved, and to disclose
how it arrives at the cap. It also
includes conditions to ensure
businesses and consumers are not
unfairly impacted by reductions.
THE ISSUE
Consensus has emerged that climate
change is a real threat to the future of
the planet. The US Senate, a number of
state Governors, the National Academy
of Sciences in 11 countries, and the vast
majority of academic researchers have
stated that global warming due to
atmospheric greenhouse gases is now
occurring and will result in potentially
catastrophic global changes if the rate of
greenhouse gas emissions is not slowed
to allow for adaptation.
Potential impacts to California from
climate change include rising sea levels
that could damage coastal communities
and coastal wetlands, degradation in air
quality resulting in an increase in
respiratory illness, increased death from
heat and insect-borne diseases, loss of
Sierra snow pack and related water
supply problems, and a dramatic
increase in state energy needs, among
other problems.
California, if compared against other
countries in the world, is the tenth
largest emitter of carbon dioxide
pollution in the world. California’s
consumption of imported electricity is
responsible for carbon dioxide pollution
emitted from power plants in other parts
of the Western U.S.
Addressing global warming carries
substantial economic benefits.
California is rich in renewable energy
resources and advanced energy
efficiency technologies that will create
new jobs and provide a hedge against
the economic impact of price spikes for
natural gas and oil. A set of
representative low-carbon policies
analyzed for the West Coast Governors’
Global Warming Initiative estimates that
the west coast region could save a
cumulative total of almost $40 billion by
2020 if these policies are adopted.
Climate change prevention strategies
will have numerous public health and
environmental benefits by reducing the
pollutants that cause smog, soot, haze
and toxic air pollution, and will also help
ensure adequate water supplies,
preserve farm and forest land uses, and
reduce traffic congestion.
The State of California has taken a
leadership role in recognizing the threat
of climate change and enacting
legislation and developing policies that
address greenhouse gas emissions.
Governor Schwarzenegger, working
with the Governors of Oregon and
Washington, has approved a series of
recommendations for action to combat
global warming. State agencies, in
addition to implementing legislative
direction like the California Air
Resources Board’s rules to limit GHG
emissions from automobiles, have also
passed regulations that address the
causes of climate change.
EXISTING LAW
The California Legislature has instituted
several laws to address GHG emissions
from sources within the state, such as
reducing GHG emissions from
automobiles, increasing the amount of
renewable energy delivered to California
investor-owned utility (IOU) customers,
improving building and appliance
efficiency standards, and establishing a
voluntary registry to develop
standardized GHG emission reporting
and certification protocols and house
certified GHG emission data.
THE SOLUTION
AB 32 requires the California
Environmental Protection Agency to
work with state agencies to do the
following:
1) Promulgate and implement a
greenhouse gas emissions cap
for the electric power, industrial
and commercial sectors through
regulations in an economically
efficient manner;
2) Institute a schedule of
greenhouse gas reductions;
3) Develop an enforcement
mechanism for reducing GHGs;
4) Establish a program to track and
report GHG emissions .
AB 32 requires that these regulations
not create large windfall profits for
private businesses, penalize industries
or companies which have acted
previously to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions, result in disproportionate
impacts to consumers or any
geographic or socio-economic groups,
and should ensure that entities are
appropriately motivated to make
investments that will reduce emissions.
AB 32 also requires that CAL/EPA
report on how they arrive at the
emissions cap, and provide biannual
progress reports on achieving the cap.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Staff:
Adrienne Alvord
(916) 319-2041
(916) 319-2121 [Fax]
adrienne.alvord@asm.ca.gov [E-mail] |
