8B Public - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Environmental Impact Analysis Greenhouse Gas Emissions Environmental Impact Report 4.1-3 4.1.2 Regulatory Setting a. Federal Regulations The federal government has taken regulatory steps toward addressing climate change. Generally, California policy and regulations and regulations implemented at the regional and local levels are as or more comprehensive and stringent than federal actions; therefore, this section focuses on state, regional, and local regulatory actions whose implementation would lessen the contribution of the proposed project to GHG emissions and associated climate change. b. State Regulations Assembly Bill 32 Assembly Bill 32, the California Global Warming Solutions Act (Health and Safety Code Section 38500 et seq.),established a statewide GHG emissions cap for 2020, adopted mandatory reporting rules for substantial sources of GHGs, and adopted a comprehensive plan, known as the Climate Change Scoping Plan, identifying how emissions reductions would be achieved from significant GHG sources. Effective January 1, 2017, SB 32 amended the California Global Warming Solutions Act. SB 32, and accompanying Executive Order B-30-15, requires CARB to ensure that statewide GHG emissions are reduced 40 percent below the 1990 level by 2030. On November 30, 2017, CARB released its 2017 Climate Change Scoping Plan (2017 Scoping Plan), which lays out the framework for achieving the 2030 reductions as established in SB 32 (and other regulations). The 2017 Scoping Plan identifies the GHG reductions needed by emissions sector to achieve a Statewide emissions level that is 40 percent below 1990 levels before 2030. Many of the programs require Statewide action, promulgated through regulation, and are outside the ability of substate jurisdictions to implement on their own accord. This is important to recognize in terms of GHG emissions efficiency and attaining GHG targets. The ability to attain targets will rely not only on transportation strategies (e.g., the SCS) but also on land use strategies implemented by local cities and counties (e.g., qualified GHG reduction plans) and controls and actions tied to economy-wide changes promulgated by the State. California Renewables Portfolio Standard In 2015, the Legislature enacted Senate Bill 350, which embodies a policy encouraging a substantial increase in the use of electric vehicles and increased the Renewable Portfolio Standard to require 50 percent of electricity generated to be from renewables by 2030. On September 10, 2018, former Governor Brown signed into law SB 100 and Executive Order B55- 18. SB 100 raises California’s Renewable Portfolio Standard requirement to 50 percent renewable resources target by December 31, 2026, and to achieve a 60 percent target by December 31, 2030. SB 100 also requires that retail sellers and local publicly owned electric utilities procure a minimum quantity of electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources so that the total kilowatt hours of those products sold to their retail end-use customers achieve 44 percent of retail sales by December 31, 2024, 52 percent by December 31, 2027, and 60 percent by December 31, 2030. Executive Order B-55-18 establishes a carbon neutrality goal for California by 2045; and sets a goal to maintain net negative emissions thereafter.