California lawmakers approve landmark extension to climate policy

Record ID: 903244

  • Title: California lawmakers approve landmark extension to climate policy
  • Date: 18th July 2017
  • Summary: SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FILE - 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SOLAR PANELS ON ROOFS OF HOMES PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FILE - 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF WIND TURBINES LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FILE - 2017) (REUTERS) HEAVY FREEWAY TRAFFIC SKYLINE OF LOS ANGELES
  • Embargoed: 1st August 2017 11:07
  • Keywords: California Jerry Brown governor greenhouse gas emissions cap-and-trade plan legislation Democrats Republicans
  • Location: SAN DIEGO, PALM SPRINGS, LOS ANGELES AND SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
  • City: SAN DIEGO, PALM SPRINGS, LOS ANGELES AND SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Environment,Climate Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA0026Q8UNUV
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: California's legislature on Monday (July 17) passed a package of bills that extends the state's signature plan to address climate change by a decade, sending Governor Jerry Brown a cap-and-trade plan that uses market forces to cuts greenhouse gas emissions.
    The legislation puts California at the forefront of plans by mostly Democratic governors to reduce carbon emissions and adhere to the goals of the Paris climate change agreement even after Republican President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the pact. Brown and other state Democratic leaders have vowed to make California the leader in opposing the environmental policy of Trump, who has rolled back the programs of his predecessor, Barack Obama.
    The legislation extends California's cap-and-trade program, which was set to expire in three years, through 2030 and attempts to strengthen it by requiring large industrial facilities to upgrade old equipment with cleaner, more modern technology by 2023. California's cap-and-trade plan sets a state limit on emissions of greenhouse gases and lets companies, such as factories and refineries, buy and sell permits to emit carbon dioxide. The system uses market forces to find the most efficient ways to cut pollution, supporters say.
    The new package seeks to reform the state's existing cap-and-trade market by curbing the number of free carbon allowances by 40 percent by 2030 and requiring that offsets be sourced from California, not elsewhere.
  • Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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