First Name | Alicia |
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Last Name | Hancock |
Email Address | aleeshk@hotmail.com |
Affiliation | |
Subject | Please auction off all emission credits and limit offsets |
Comment | California has a unique opportunity right now to set an example for the nation in how we collectively attack the problem of global warming. CARB should be commended for developing a Scoping Plan that is appropriately ambitious. But, I write to encourage CARB to make sure that the potential of this Plan is not destroyed by a failure to address the details. Cap and trade can be an effective method of reducing emissions, but CARB's current Plan still does not specify how polluters will receive these credits. European countries provided emission credits for free to their industries, which contributed to the crumbling of their nascent cap-and-trade system. Please do not subject us to the same mistake. To provide the appropriate incentives (and disincentives), all of these emission credits should be auctioned. Not only will this contribute to faster adoption of clean technologies, but revenue from such an auction can be reinvested to create green jobs and aid low-income consumers and small businesses in reducing their energy bills. In addition, CARB should place greater immediate emphasis on other market mechanisms, such as feed-in tarrifs and carbon fees. It is disappointing to see that offsets are still playing a role in the Plan. Allowing offsets often encourages continued emissions in low-income neighborhoods and in defenseless habitats. It also weakens the demand for clean energy technology and green jobs in California. Any offsets allowed should at most represent only a small portion of a polluter's required emission reductions. To the extent that CARB retains offsets in the Plan, please inclue stringent protocols ensuring that the reductions are quantifiable, new, permanent, subject to independent third-party verification, enforceable by CARB, and only located in California. CARB should be commended for including a 33% renewable electricity standard by 2020, but standards can become simply aspirational if they are not given the force of law. Please couple this standard with approprate regulatory action. In addition, please make it easier and more affordable for California communities to meet and exceed this standard by promoting and enabling Community Choice Aggregation. Thank you for all of your work in developing this Plan and in seeking public comment. |
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Date and Time Comment Was Submitted | 2008-11-12 07:54:49 |
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