UCS Success Stories
California Passes World's First Low Carbon Fuel Standard
In April 2009, we achieved a major victory in California where they passed the world's first low carbon fuel standard. The regulation will likely serve as a model for other states and the federal government. Governor Schwarzenegger and the California Air Resources Board faced tremendous pressure from the corn ethanol industry to weaken the regulation by ignoring emissions caused by deforestation and other land use changes. But the scientific evidence is clear, and with the help of UCS, more than 170 scientists and economists--including two Nobel Laureates and nine members of the National Academies of Science--sent a letter to the board, urging it to account for these emissions. California should be commended for accounting for those emissions--and for continuing to lead the nation in establishing forward-thinking policy to reduce heat-trapping emissions.
