Public Meetings

What’s Next for California’s Carbon Market? A Preview of the Upcoming IEMAC Meeting

Posted by CLR

The Independent Emissions Market Advisory Committee (IEMAC) is set to convene on Thursday, May 1, 2:30-4:00 p.m. PST. The meeting will take place at the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) headquarters, located at 1001 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814, as well as a number of other physical locations. For those unable to attend in person, remote participation will be available via Zoom.

Two pivotal topics on the agenda could significantly influence California’s cap-and-trade program and broader climate policy.

  • Strengthening Transparency: Conflict-of-Interest Disclosures

A key agenda item is the review of IEMAC’s conflict-of-interest disclosure policies. Given the committee’s role in providing impartial analysis of California’s emissions trading system, maintaining public trust is paramount. Chair Meredith Fowlie, Co-Chair Danny Cullenward, and Salwa Bojack, Senior Staff Counsel at CalEPA, will lead this discussion. They aim to ensure that the committee’s operations remain transparent and free from potential biases, reinforcing the integrity of its recommendations.

  • Navigating Federal Climate Actions: Implications for California’s Carbon Market

Another significant topic is the examination of recent federal initiatives that may impact California’s carbon market. Cara Horowitz, Executive Director of the Emmett Institute at UCLA School of Law, will provide insights into how federal policies, such as new EPA regulations or proposed national carbon pricing mechanisms, could interact with California’s existing cap-and-trade system. This discussion is crucial for understanding potential synergies or conflicts between state and federal climate strategies.

These discussions come at a critical juncture as California strives to meet its ambitious climate goals while ensuring the robustness and fairness of its carbon market. The outcomes of this meeting could have lasting implications for the state’s environmental and economic landscape.

For more details on the meeting, see the agenda and meeting materials. 

Meeting of the AB 32 Environmental Justice Advisory Committee

Posted by CLR

The first meeting of the Assembly Bill (AB) 32 Environmental Justice Advisory Committee (EJAC) for 2025 is scheduled for February 13, 2025. The public can attend in person or remotely. Details below.

Date:   Thursday, February 13, 2025
Time:              1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Location:         The meeting is being held in-person in Sacramento and remote via Zoom.
CalEPA HQ Building | Sierra Hearing Room, Second Floor | 1001 ” I ” Street, Sacramento, California

Join Virtually:    Zoom (please register ahead of the meeting)
Passcode:           876719

By Telephone:    888 363 4734 (US Toll Free)
Conference code:    176024

The Joint Legislative Committee on Climate Change Policies has a new chair: Will it take a more active role in 2025?

Posted by CLR

The Joint Legislative Committee on Climate Change Policies has a new chair. Assembly Member Jacqui Irwin will be leading the Committee moving forward in 2025. This is a great opportunity for the Legislature to resume its role in pushing the state forward to meet its climate commitments.

The committee is supposed to oversee a lot of the climate activities of state agencies in California, and appears to have lost its momentum. It met 5 times its first year, 5 times its second year, once in 2020, once in 2021, 3 times in 2022, and 2 times in 2023. In 2023, it heard testimony from several independent oversight analysts, including the IEMAC and the LAO, indicating that the State’s Scoping Plan was flawed and ought to be bolstered. The staff report prepared for that meeting stated: “Put simply, the LAO and IEMAC were directed to let the JLCCCP and Legislature know if there was reason for concern, and since the Scoping Plan Update was released, they have both sounded alarms. This hearing is intended to heed those warnings.” Recommendations included:

  • The members of the Committees may wish to consider requesting CARB to provide a legislative addendum to its Scoping Plan to provide additional information that quantifies the level of investment and identifies the specific regulations that will be necessary to achieve the enhanced 2030 target.
  • Moreover, the JLCCCP may wish to consider commissioning further independent expert analysis, in accordance with AB 197’s authorization of a technical advisory panel to the Joint Committee, providing answers to some of the missing pieces in the Scoping Plan, especially with respect to pre-2030 action.

The Committee took no action at the end of that hearing, a missed opportunity that can be seized with new leadership.

Assembly Bill (AB) 32 Environmental Justice Advisory Committee (EJAC) August 16 Meeting Continued on September 3

Posted by CLR

The EJAC will be meeting of Friday, August 16, 2024, from 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. was interrupted due to a building wide power outage. The meeting will be continued on September 3, 2024, from 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. The Committee will be hearing a few items, including an update to its charter. Otherwise, the Committee will primarily be discussing topics that will be covered at a joint EJAC and CARB meeting on  September 12, 2024, including (1) Low Carbon Fuel Standard, (2) Carbon Markets: Cap-and-Trade Program, including Resolution Development Progress, and (3) Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) and Direct Air Capture (DAC).

The public may attend in person or remotely via zoom or phone. In person, the meeting will be held at CalEPA HQ Building, Sierra Hearing Room, Second Floor, 1001 ” I ” Street, Sacramento, California. For remote attendance, you may call or attend via zoom as follows:

New Information for September 3 Meeting:

Register: Zoom (please register ahead of the meeting)
Passcode: 085999

By Telephone: 888 363 4734 US Toll-free   
Conference code: 176024

August 16 meeting:

Register: Zoom (please register ahead of the meeting)
Passcode: 711638

By Telephone: 888 363 4734 US Toll-free   
Conference code: 176024

California Senate Hearings on Cap and Trade

Posted by CLR

On February 13, 2024, the Senate Environmental Quality joined the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee No. 2 on Resources, Environmental Protection and Energy, met to consider the new proposed “Cap and Trade Rulemaking” and to examine more closely why the state’s current cap-and-trade program is not on track to drive environmental justice and affordability outcomes by 2030. Staff produced a background paper to summarize the concerns. You can watch the hearing here.

May 16 EJAC Meeting to Consider CARB’s Regulatory Impact Assessment of New Regulations

Posted by CLR

AB 32 Environmental Justice Advisory Committee meet next on Thursday, May 16, 2024, at 1:00 PM – 5:00 pm. You can attend in person, on line, or by telephone. Details are here.

The meeting will focus on the economic impacts of the new cap and trade regulatory changes. The cost benefit analysis (Standardized Regulatory Impact Assessment or SRIA) was prepared pursuant to regulations adopted by the Department of Finance.

Table 1 from page 5 the SRIA sets out the costs and benefits predicted from the action, although it lumps them all together.

In total, it appears that the $79.4 – $82.8 billion costs of the program will be overshadowed by the $125.70 – $561.10 billion in benefits. Read the full report to understand the ranges, which are largely due to the differences in the proposed scenarios and the discount rate applied.

Open for Public Comment: 2023 Annual Report of the Independent Emissions Market Advisory Committee Open for Public Comment: 2023

Posted by CLR

The Independent Emissions Market Advisory Committee (IEMAC) is seeking public comment on its Sixth Annual Report to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the Joint Legislative Committee on Climate Change Policies on the environmental and economic performance of California’s carbon market
and other relevant climate policies.

Public comments should be sent to iemac@calepa.ca.gov by February 26.