On April 11, 2016, the California Air Resources Board
("CARB") continued its efforts to implement the
greenhouse gas emission reductions required by the Global Warming
Solutions Act ("AB 32") and related legislation by
issuing its Proposed Short-Lived Climate Pollutant
("SLCP") Reduction Strategy (the "Proposed
Strategy"). Reducing SLCPs is one of "five
pillars" of California's climate strategy, which seeks to
reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions to 40 percent below 1990
levels by 2030. CARB was directed to prepare the Proposed Strategy
pursuant to Senate Bill 605, the Short-Lived Climate Pollutants
Act.
According to CARB, SLCPs such as black carbon, methane, and
fluorinated gases have a significant impact on climate over the
short term. SLCPs are more effective at trapping heat in the
earth's atmosphere than the more ubiquitous greenhouse gas,
carbon dioxide.
Among other things, the Proposed Strategy seeks to: (i) reduce
wildfire risk (the largest source of black carbon emissions in
California); (ii) eliminate the disposal of organic waste streams
in landfills and reduce fugitive emissions from natural gas storage
facilities and pipelines to reduce methane emissions; and (iii)
incentivize the use of low global warming potential refrigerants to
reduce fluorinated gas emissions. By deploying these and other
strategies, CARB intends to reduce emissions of methane and
fluorinated gases by 40 percent, and black carbon emissions by 50
percent, below current levels by 2030.
CARB will host several workshops over the coming months to discuss
the Proposed Strategy and will vote to approve a final strategy in
the fall of 2016. All regulatory measures implementing the
strategies set forth in the Proposed Strategy will be subject to a
separate notice and public comment process.
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