Air board’s plan to raise fees threatens our economy and climate goals

[Source: CalChamber / Allan Zaremberg] California produces just 1 percent of atmospheric carbon emissions, yet global leaders and activists care about California regulations. Why is this? It’s the same reason that California politicos insist on our unique climate regulations. Governors and legislators–here and globally–count on California’s leadership to translate into solutions applicable around the world. Read More…

Californians appear poised to reject measure controlling how climate change funds are spent

[Source: Los Angeles Times] Four statewide ballot propositions were passing in California on Tuesday, while an effort to control spending of funds collected through the state’s climate change program appeared headed toward a defeat. Proposition 70 would have required both houses of the Legislature, six years from now, to approve spending of cash collected from Read More…

The bullet train is California’s biggest infrastructure project — but it’s seldom discussed in governor’s race

[Source: Los Angeles Times] It’s the biggest infrastructure project in state history, but the California bullet train gets hardly any attention on the campaign trail. The leading candidates for governor have said little publicly about how they would fix dire problems in the $77-billion mega-project that has already overrun its initial cost estimate by $44 Read More…

Allowing polluters to offset carbon emissions by paying forest owners effectively reduces greenhouse gases

[Source: Stanford News] A pioneering California program to sell carbon offsets has surprising environmental benefits – including providing habitat for endangered species – and provides lessons for initiatives under development in other states and countries. You can’t grow money on trees, but you can earn money for letting trees grow. Or at least you can Read More…