Help Strengthen California's Global Warming Program
Thanks for taking action to urge California officials to strengthen the proposed program for decreasing global warming emissions from the state’s largest polluters. We encourage you to write brief comments in your own words and submit them to the public record. See below for suggestions on points to make. You can enter your comments on the webform of the California Air Resources Board here.
Suggested points to emphasize:
- Thank state officials for taking global warming seriously and developing a plan to reduce global warming pollution while at the same time creating jobs and making California a healthier and more prosperous place to live. The proposed program will decrease global warming emissions from the state’s largest polluters and establish a market price on these emissions. This program is one of many policies CARB is using to reach the state’s goal of reducing global warming emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, along with renewable energy, energy efficiency, and cleaner transportation standards.
- Note that parts of the proposal are strong, such as setting a limit that declines each year, and setting a minimum price on carbon pollution. This steady price signal will help businesses make long-term investments in strategies to reduce global warming emissions.
- Recommend that the program be strengthened by requiring more of the state’s largest polluters to pay for their global warming emissions instead of giving permits away for free. By forcing polluters to pay for the emissions they generate by purchasing permits in an auction, we can then re-invest the auction funds into efforts that will help us transition to a cleaner economy and help lower energy costs for Californians—such as making homes and businesses more energy efficient, increasing public transit options, and developing wind and solar projects in California.
For more information, review the official comments submitted by the Union of Concerned Scientists.
