California sued over its oil and gas permitting practices
Mark Olalde, The Desert Sun
The Center for Biological Diversity on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against California that challenges the state s approval of thousands of permits to drill for oil and gas. The environmental advocacy organization is asking the court to issue an injunction against the state to compel it to follow the California Environmental Quality Act in its permitting of oil and gas wells.
The group alleges that the California Geologic Energy Management Division, which is tasked with regulating the state s oil and gas industry, has a consistent and ongoing pattern and practice of ignoring its legal obligation to conduct environmental review before issuing oil and gas permits throughout the state.
Newsom Administration Sued Over Thousands of Unlawful Oil, Gas Projects
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Newsom administration officials said this week that they will evaluate the role of California’s landmark cap-and-trade program as the state examines its strategies for tackling climate change over the next decade.
At an oversight hearing Tuesday, Jared Blumenfeld, secretary for environmental protection, and Air Resources Board Chair Liane Randolph said the carbon trading program will be a key part of the conversation as California updates its climate road map, called a scoping plan, over the next two years.
Neither Blumenfeld nor Randolph, however, would say specifically what will be examined or how the program might change. “Any changes would need to be carefully thought through and accompanied by economic and environmental processes,” Blumenfeld said.
January 4, 2021
Randolph addressed those concerns at the hearing, but as market administrator of the cap and trade program, she was cautious about saying anything that might affect the market for carbon credits.
“This remains an important space for us to work directly with environmental justice and community organizations to ensure that their views are incorporated into our work,” Randolph said.
California in 2016 pledged to cut its climate-warming pollution 40% over the next ten years, and it is relying on the carbon trading program for nearly half of those reductions in 2030.
“We’re calling on all our existing climate policies to do more in the next decade. We have no choice but to accelerate the rate of emission reductions dramatically,” Blumenfeld said today.
California To Review Carbon Trading Program As Part Of Climate Roadmap Tuesday, February 16, 2021 | Sacramento, CA
California s cap and trade program offers oil refineries, like this Valero plant in Wilmington, the option to buy credits to offset carbon emissions.
Shae Hammond / CalMatters
Newsom administration officials said today that they will evaluate the role of California’s landmark cap and trade program as the state examines its strategies for tackling climate change over the next decade.
At an oversight hearing today, Jared Blumenfeld, secretary for environmental protection, and Air Resources Board Chair Liane Randolph said the carbon trading program will be a key part of the conversation as California updates its climate roadmap, called a scoping plan, over the next two years.
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