PCL E-Mail Blast Archive, 2008 -

PCL Insider: News from the Capitol   AB32 SCOPING PLAN UPDATE: LEGISLATURE GRILLS ON WARMING PLANET   Last Wednesday, the Senate Committee on Energy and the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources held a joint oversight hearing to assess the state's progress in implementing AB 32, the 2006 law which requires California to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.   The legislators focused on how to improve the Draft AB 32 Scoping Plan recently issued by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to ensure the Plan protects the environment, advances social equity, and strengthens our economy.    Advancement of renewable energy and land use policy reform were hot topics throughout the hearing.   Senator Christine Kehoe called for a renewed commitment to achieving California's Renewables Portfolio Standard, which requires a growing percentage of California's power to come from renewable electricity sources. The Scoping Plan calls for thirty-three percent of California's electricity to come from renewable energy by 2020 but some utilities have announced that they will not meet their 2010 requirements.   Assemblymember Dave Jones critiqued the draft for committing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the land use sector by only two million metric tons, noting that "two years ago the Governor talked about eighteen million metric tons".   PCL's Matt Vander Sluis observed that stronger regional planning, as envisioned in Senator Steinberg's SB 375 (currently pending in the Assembly), was helpful but much more is needed to be done in the land use sector to fight global warming. He called on the Legislature and CARB to enact a suite of strong, enforceable policies that limit the greenhouse gas emissions from new development, including an Indirect Source Rule and stronger requirements to analyze and mitigate greenhouse gases in the CEQA process.   Stay tuned for more oversight hearings as CARB finalizes its Scoping Plan this fall.       PCL FOUNDATION TO HOST CEQA WORKSHOP IN BAKERSFIELD - SIGN UP TODAY!   Want to know how the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) can help protect the environment in your community? You're in luck! The PCL Foundation is partnering with local groups throughout the state to present our popular CEQA workshops, featuring our updated Community Guide to CEQA. We'll review the fundamentals of CEQA, identify the key legal obligations of public agencies, and provide helpful tips on how to make sure those obligations are met. Our new workshop also highlights how CEQA can aid local residents in the fight against global warming.   We're pleased to bring you another CEQA workshop in Bakersfield on Saturday, September 13th. Register Now!   For more information, or to request a workshop in your community, please contact Justin Saydell at (916) 313-4506, or jsaydell@pcl.org.   PCL |  PCL FOUNDATION |  DONATE NOW! Please add pclmail@pcl.org to your address book to ensure delivery to your inbox. You are receiving this email because the email address was subscribed to our email list. Having trouble reading this email? View it on our website. 1107 9th Street, Suite 360, Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone (916) 444-8726 • Fax (916) 448-1789 • pclmail@pcl.org Copyright, 2008 The Planning and Conservation League. All rights reserved. Privacy and Contribution Policies. Click here to unsubscribe

PCL Insider Archive, 2005 - 2008

1107 9th Street, Suite 360, Sacramento, CA 95814 • Phone (916) 444-8726 • Fax (916) 448-1789 •

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