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5.21 Climate Change

• January 1, 2010. Adoption and enforcement of regulations to implement the “discrete”
actions. Several early action measures have been adopted and became effective on
January 1, 2010 (CARB 2007a, 2007b).

• January 1, 2011. Adoption of GHG emissions limits and reduction measures by
regulation. On October 28, 2010, CARB released its proposed cap-and-trade regulations,
which would cover sources of approximately 85 percent of California’s GHG emissions.
On October 20, 2011, the Board adopted the final cap-and-trade regulation. The final
rulemaking packing was approved by the Office of Administrative Law (OAL) on
December, 14 2011, with an effective date of January 1, 2012 (CARB 2011a).

• January 1, 2015. Cap-and-trade compliance obligations were phased in for suppliers
of natural gas, reformulated gasoline blendstock for oxygenate blending (RBOB),
distillate fuel oils, and liquefied petroleum gas, with emissions that meet or exceed
specified emissions thresholds. Emission offsets are allowed for up to eight percent of
a facility’s compliance obligation. According to the 2016 California Climate Investments
Annual Report, $2.6 billion from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund has been
appropriated to State agencies, and $1.7 billion has been awarded to projects (CARB
2016a). CARB has confirmed that the Cap-and-Trade program will continue to be
administered after 2020.

As noted above, on December 11, 2008, CARB adopted the Scoping Plan to achieve the goals
of AB 32. The Scoping Plan establishes an overall framework for the measures that will be
adopted to reduce California’s GHG emissions. CARB determined that achieving the 1990
emission level would require a reduction of GHG emissions of approximately 28.5 percent
below what would otherwise occur in 2020 in the absence of new laws and regulations
(referred to as “business as usual”). The Scoping Plan evaluates opportunities for sector-
specific reductions; integrates all CARB and Climate Action Team early actions and
additional GHG reduction measures by both entities; identifies additional measures to be
pursued as regulations; and outlines the role of a cap-and-trade program. The key elements
of the Scoping Plan (CARB 2008a) include:

• Expanding and strengthening existing energy efficiency programs as well as building
and appliance standards;

• Achieving a statewide renewables energy mix of 33 percent;
• Developing a California cap-and-trade program that links with other Western Climate
Initiative partner programs to create a regional market system and caps sources
contributing 85 percent of California’s GHG emissions;
• Establishing targets for transportation-related GHG emissions for regions throughout
California, and pursuing policies and incentives to achieve those targets;

• Adopting and implementing measures pursuant to existing State laws and policies,
including California’s clean car standards, goods movement measures, and the Low
Carbon Fuel Standard; and

• Creating targeted fees, including a public goods charge on water use, fees on high
global warming potential gases, and a fee to fund the administrative costs of the State
of California’s long-term commitment to AB 32 implementation.

R:\Projects\PAS\CEN\000306\Draft EIR\5.21 ClimateChange-051117.docx 5.21-16 Centennial Project
Draft EIR