Reflecting on California’s Cap-and-Trade Program One Year Later
On Feb. 5, CleanTECH San Diego partnered with The San Diego Foundation, Procopio, Climate Resolve, and Climate Action Reserve to present “California’s Cap-and-Trade: A One Year Assessment.” Guests heard from California Air Resources Board Executive Officer Richard Corey and County Supervisor Ron Roberts, as well as regional climate science and business leaders, as they looked back on the first year of the cap-and-trade program to asses its economic and environmental impact, both locally and abroad. The event drew 100 people representing San Diego regional businesses, local governments, state agencies, and environmental and nonprofit groups.
In 2006, the California Legislature passed and Governor Schwarzenegger signed AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006. Among other things, it directed the California Air Resources Board (ARB) to begin developing actions to reduce greenhouse gases while also preparing a scoping plan to identify how best reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2020, ultimately achieving an 80% reduction from 1990 levels by 2050. At this Feb. 5 event, Corey stated that the California Air Resources Board is in the process of making updates to the scope and details of that climate action plan for California, the road map for achieving 2020 goals.
The original AB 32 Scoping Plan identified a cap-and-trade program as one of the strategies California should employ to reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that cause climate change. The development of the cap-and-trade program included a multi-year stakeholder process and consideration of potential adverse consequences to disproportionately impacted communities. The program started on January 1, 2012, with an enforceable compliance obligation beginning with 2013 GHG emissions.
Event speakers and co-hosts included:
Richard Corey, Executive Officer, California Air Resources Board
Supervisor Ron Roberts, County of San Diego, Member, California Air Resources Board
Ralph Keeling, Ph.D., Director, Scripps CO2 Program, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego
John Lormon, Partner, Procopio
F. Noel Perry, Founder, Next 10
Mary Leslie, President, Los Angeles Business Council
Amy Ingram, Worldwide Market Segment Underwriting Manager, Chubb Group of Insurance Companies
Craig Anderson, Director, Environmental Affairs, Solar Turbines
Greg Arnold, Managing Partner, CE2 Capital Partners
Jan Mazurek, Ph.D., Senior Fellow, ICF International
