California Sets Stricter Emissions Targets for 2030

California lawmakers passed a bill that aims to reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. The legislation extends previous efforts the state has made to reduce emissions by 2020.

The state Senate voted 25-13 in support of the bill, reports Reuters. Governor Jerry Brown is expected to sign it, along with another piece of legislation that vows to boost legislative oversight of climate change programs organized by the California Air Resources Board.

Supporters say that emissions rules have created new jobs and led to billions of dollars of investment in California’s clean energy sector. Opponents, however, argue that the strict targets have slashed jobs, particularly in oil manufacturing. “The changes it has brought to our economy are unforgiveable,” Senate Republican Leader Jean Fuller of Bakersfield said before the vote yesterday.

California is still on track to meet its 2020 emissions goals, which call upon the state to reduce emissions back to 1990 levels. That piece of legislation, known as the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, set out to put emissions levels at 15 percent below what would be expected in a “business as usual” scenario.

While California’s emissions goals are on schedule, experts say that its goals of putting more EVs on the road may fall flat. An analysis from the Natural Resources Defense Council said the state might not meet its original target of putting 1.5 million emissions-free vehicles on California roads by 2025.

Source: Reuters

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