Image via ShutterstockOPINION – As a climate scientist, I believe that the extension of cap-and-trade through 2045, including the continued use of offsets, is simply good policy.
Car enthusiast Gary Ellison. Image by Ellie ApplebyIs the latest legislative effort to exempt classic cars from California’s emissions laws about to run out of gas? The answer to that question could come as early as Friday when the Senate Committee on Appropriations weighs in on SB 712, also known as “Leno’s Law” for its support from former Tonight Show host and noted car enthusiast Jay Leno.
Gas burning with blue flames on the burner of a gas stove. Image by HJBCOPINION – After this past election, it is refreshing to hear California’s political leaders identifying that affordability is a message they received loud and clear from the voters. A great first step toward affordability is to stop adding more expenses to daily living.
Smoke blanketing California's coastline. Image courtesy of NOAA website. A wave of life-threatening air pollution is now being reported widely as refugees from the devastating fires in Los Angeles return to what is left of their homes. Research being funded by the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine could help uncover how fine particulate matter from wildfires, vehicle emissions, and industrial sources affects stem cells and brain development.
The concept of carbon credit, sustainable energy. Carbon neutrality and net zero emissions. Top view of lush trees in the forest Using renewable energy from wind and sunlight Clean energy.OPINION – Earlier this month, the California Senate Judiciary Committee advanced Senate Bill 1036 (SB 1036), a bill that would cause far-reaching damage to the ability of California – and the world – to fight the climate crisis. Despite its good intentions, in practice, SB 1036 opens individuals and firms engaging with the voluntary carbon market in good faith to increased legal risk and potential civil litigation and misinformed, frivolous lawsuits.
Industrial polluters, image by TR STOKOPINION – It has long been an open secret that Cap-and-Trade, California’s so-called “landmark climate policy,” is failing to drive significant pollution reductions more than a decade after it was launched. Under the current framework, industrial polluters in our state have grown accustomed to getting special treatment and emissions in some sectors are up.
Liane Randolph of CARB. Liane Randolph helms the state’s lead agency for climate change programs, putting her center stage on one of the hottest issues of the day. It puts her in a delicate position. “With climate change, you want to move fast,” she said. “But if you want to do it in a way where people have a say and where it is affordable, you need to be more patient and deliberative.”
A smog L.A. skyline looms in the background. (Photo: Matt Gush, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Sadly, some Sacramento legislators choose to ignore democratic principles and are, once again, attempting to push their “state-knows-best” attitude and diminish local control at the South Coast Air Quality Management District. Voters elect local city councils and mayors to represent our best interests. In turn, these elected officials select from among themselves the members of the SCAQMD governing board.
An Uber car in traffic. (Photo: Cristi Croitoru, via Shutterstock)OPINION: With the pandemic finally abating, people are moving around more, and business is picking up for ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft. So the timing is right for the California Air Resources Board to curb the pollution coming from those fleets. Fortunately, CARB’s agenda for its Board Hearing on Thursday includes a well-crafted measure called the Clean Miles Standard which will do just that.
A path into a Northern California redwood forest. (Photo: C. Levers, via Shutterstock)OPINION: As a 34-year employee of Cal Fire, I am deeply familiar with the consequences of state policy that for too long emphasized putting out all wildfires, rather than emphasizing the natural restorative role fire plays in California’s landscapes. With Gov. Newsom’s new $1 billion wildfire budget, we have an opportunity to prioritize wildfire resilience rather than just wildfire suppression.