California may soon have the nation’s most extensive cap-and-trade program for reducing carbon emissions. The Air Resources Board spent all Thursday hearing testimony on the proposed cap-and-trade rules.
Even Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger made an unscheduled appearance at the hearing to urge adoption of the plan.
"I want to show California that we can protect both the economy and the environment. And of course it’s a challenge to do that, there’s no two ways about that. But where there’s a will, there’s a way," Schwarzenegger said.
The proposal is a part of the state’s “global warming solutions act” which is intended to return California to 1990 carbon dioxide levels by 2020. The cap-and-trade program would put limits on how much carbon dioxide California based companies can emit. If they exceed their limit, they can buy carbon credits from the state or other groups with surplus credits.
