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.
The EJAC meet several times during the preparation of the new scoping plan in 2021 and 2022, on June 3, August 3 and 26, September 22 and 27, October 12 and 15, November 9 and 16, December 1 and 14, 2021, and January 25, February 8 and 28, March 1, 10, and 30, April 25 and 26, May 23 and 24, June 27 and 28, July 25 and 26, August 22 and 23, September 1, 26, and 27, October 24 and 25, and November 29 and 30, 2022.
On September 30, 2022, the EJAC wrote a letter to CARB. EJAC was critical of the draft scoping plan, calling it “business as usual.” It argued that greater focus should be on direct emission reductions that covered all sources, rather than a plan that extends the life of fossil fuel and natural resource extraction. See details in the letter. You can also find CARB’s response here.
The Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) recently evaluated the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) 2022 Scoping Plan Update, which outlines the state’s plan for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The report can be found here: Assessing California’s Climate Policies—The 2022 Scoping Plan Update. The Scoping Plan Update aims to achieve a 48% reduction in GHG emissions below the 1990 level by 2030 and at least an 85% reduction by 2045. However, the LAO’s assessment found that the plan lacks a clear strategy for meeting the 2030 GHG goals, as it does not specify the specific policies it will implement to achieve these reductions. The report provides recommendations for legislative next steps.
Specifically, the LAO recommended that the California legislature should work with CARB to develop a more detailed plan that outlines specific policies and measures to achieve the 2030 GHG reduction goals. Additionally, the report suggested that the legislature should consider providing oversight to ensure that the plan is effectively implemented and that the state is on track to meet its GHG reduction targets.