Brown promotes program to fight climate change
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Jerry Brown is promoting California’s cap-and-trade program to combat climate change on the national and global stage. But even in one of the nation’s most Democratic states, he’s struggling to convince lawmakers to keep it alive.
Despite broad support for extending the program, the Democratic governor is seeking to bridge a divide between lawmakers who want to take it further and others who worry about the costs. He’s racing to extend the program this month.
Hours before Brown left Friday to promote climate policies in China, the state Assembly rejected a bill that would have continued cap and trade for another 10 years while adding new limits on air pollution in heavily polluted areas.
Cap and trade puts a limit on the state’s total annual emissions from certain sources. Businesses that pollute can buy permits allowing them to release greenhouse gases. By putting a price on carbon, the program is designed to create incentives for firms to reduce their emissions while raising money for green technology research and mitigation of global warming effects.
Brown has called for lawmakers to extend it with a two-thirds vote, which would insulate it from legal challenges. Democrats have enough votes to do that on their own, but disagreement among them makes it unlikely.
“It’s going to take some Republicans here. Democrats can’t do this alone,” Brown said Thursday, asking the Chamber of Commerce for help in rounding up Republicans.
In a sign of how significantly California’s climate debate differs from the one in Washington, business groups and oil companies have supported a cap and trade extension, at least with restrictions. They contend it’s the most cost-effective way to meet California’s ambitious climate goal — a mandate in state law to reduce emissions 40 percent below the 1990 level by 2030.
Without cap and trade, they worry, the state would resort to strict and expensive mandates to, for example, replace less efficient vehicles and equipment ahead of schedule.
While many environmentalists celebrate cap and trade for reducing overall greenhouse gas emissions, others contend the program does nothing to address localized air pollution in the generally low-income areas around refineries, power plants and ports. Businesses that pollute in those areas can continue doing so as long as they obtain permits, known as allowances.
Advocates for these heavily polluted areas, known as environmental justice advocates, are pushing to make air quality improvements part of any extension of the program.
“We’re looking to limit the ability of the big polluters to outsource the emission reductions by purchasing offsets and allowances,” said Bill Magavern, policy director for the Coalition for Clean Air. “We want them to do most of a compliance by cleaning up their own emissions in our communities.”
But that’s a nonstarter for Republicans, who say it would significantly raise the price of gas and energy.
“The Republicans are engaged to take care of the environment, deal with carbon, but make sure the working families are protected,” said Assemblyman Rocky Chavez, an Oceanside Republican.
While the debate rages in the Legislature, Brown has put himself forward as a national and global leader on climate change as the U.S. retreats from the Paris climate accord, an international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
On Thursday, he announced he’ll work with the governors of New York and Washington state to form the U.S. Climate Alliance to uphold the American commitments under the Paris agreement. He has also spearheaded an international pact of states, provinces and cities worldwide committing to emissions reductions.
His trip to China includes six days of meetings, conferences and public events related to the environment.