by Anshu Siripurapu (Sacramento Bee) After an intense floor debate, a bill extending California’s greenhouse gas emission targets squeaked by in the Assembly on Tuesday.
Senate Bill 32 was seen as a crucial step for reauthorizing the state’s cap-and-trade program. Gov. Jerry Brown, who said he will sign the measure once it is approved by the Senate, attempted to include an amendment specifically extending cap-and-trade authority but was rebuffed by lawmakers.
The bill now requires a 40 percent reduction from 1990 levels by 2030. The current climate law, AB 32, required the state to reach 1990 levels by 2020.
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The bill, which cleared the lower house 42-29 – one vote more than the 41-vote minimum – pitted the oil industry against environmentalists in heavy lobbying, and is almost certain to be approved by the Senate.
The bill’s passage comes a year after talks surrounding an emissions reduction target fell apart in the Legislature.
The legislation gained passage wedded to a companion measure, Assembly Bill 197, to increase legislative oversight of the controversial California Air Resources Board.
Democratic lawmakers painted the climate package as necessary to wrest control of the state’s climate programs back from Brown’s administration. READ MORE and MORE (Reuters)