Latest news with #CaliforniaClimateInvestments
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Statewide Mobile Monitoring Initiative launched to help guide air quality improvement
( — California Governor Gavin Newsom announced the launch of the Statewide Mobile Monitoring Initiative program, created to guide air quality improvement efforts in California. Video Above: Gov. Newsom announced CalHeatScore, a tool to help people understand the severity of heat waves 'While the federal government threatens to take us back to the days of smoggy skies and clogged lungs, California continues to lead the way,' Newsom said. 'We're deploying first-of-their-kind vehicles to monitor pollution levels at a block-by-block level, delivering critical air quality information to communities across the state.' The program delivers hyper-local air pollution data by deploying mobile air monitoring equipment to 64 communities that have been facing environmental disparities in the state. The deployment of the monitoring equipment will begin in June, with the use of sensor-equipped vehicles from Aclima and mobile laboratories operated by researchers from the University of California, Berkeley; the University of California, Riverside and Aerodyne. The organizations involved plan on collecting and analyzing data on local pollution levels. The initiative comes along with the statewide effort, California Climate Investments, that puts billions of Cap-and-Invest dollars into reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment. Priority populations, such as low-income communities and communities facing disproportionate pollution burdens, will be more than 60% of the areas monitored, the office of Newsom said. Elk Grove to welcome 2 new fast food chain locations 'By meeting communities where they are and listening to their concerns, we're building an air quality monitoring system that integrates the lived experiences of the people most impacted by air pollution,' said CARB Executive Director Dr. Steven Cliff. 'The Statewide Mobile Monitoring Initiative represents an unprecedented opportunity to gather the detailed information we need to better protect public health in neighborhoods that have historically borne the brunt of environmental injustice.' The project is expected to be completed by June of 2026, along with the public availability of the collected data. The data will then be used by CARB, local air districts, stakeholders and community stakeholders to properly address emerging pollution concerns. 'The data is also expected to inform future regulatory programs, academic research, and applications for grants such as the Community Air Grants Program,' said the office. The state's clean air efforts have also saved $250 billion in health costs through reduced illness and reduced diesel-related cancer risk by almost 80 percent, according to the office. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gavin Newsom Wants To Make the Country's Most Expensive Gas Even More Expensive
California Gov. Gavin Newsom released his revised state budget proposal for FY 2025–2026 on Wednesday. After having a roughly balanced budget in January, the state must now "close an estimated $12 billion shortfall to balance the budget" because of President Donald Trump's tariffs, which have "driven a downgrade in both the economic and revenue forecasts" and increased spending for the state's Medicaid program. Despite this shortfall, Newsom's budget calls for maintaining or extending expensive government programs, including the state's cap-and-trade program, which was set to expire in 2030. Launched in 2013 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in the state, the program sets a GHG emissions cap for "covered entities," which includes electricity generators, oil refineries, and manufacturing facilities. Entities must comply with this annual cap either by voluntarily reducing their GHG emissions or by purchasing allowances (essentially permits to emit 1 ton of carbon dioxide equivalent) at quarterly auctions. Most of the money generated from these auctions goes to the California Climate Investments program, which has funded $12.8 billion worth of environmental and energy projects since 2014. The California Air Resources Board estimates that these projects have prevented over 1,000 premature air pollution-related deaths. At the same time, cap-and-trade has been prohibitively expensive for consumers. While some auction funds go toward utility bill rebates, the program has increased energy costs for Californians. The state's Legislative Analyst's Office estimates that it adds 23 cents per gallon to gas prices, which could increase to 74 cents per gallon if the state decides to pursue more aggressive GHG reductions. The state currently has the highest gas prices in the country. Wayne Winegarden, senior fellow at the Pacific Research Institute, tells Reason that the program is a "bad tradeoff." Compared to when California launched the cap-and-trade program, "total energy related CO2 emissions in California is down 6.2%. This is around the national average (5.4% decline). It is way behind states like West Virginia that saw a 14% decline." While some Climate Investment money has funded environmentally beneficial projects like wetland restorations, the program has mostly prioritized funding for politically preferential projects and social programs. State law mandates that 25 percent of auction revenues ($7.4 billion since 2014) go toward California's high-speed rail project, which, after nearly two decades has yet to transport a single passenger. In his budget proposal, Newsom calls for "at least $1 billion annually" to be provided for the project. Another 20 percent of program revenues ($2.2 billion since 2014) are mandated to fund the state's Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program. The program has over 13,000 affordable housing units under contract and has reduced GHG emissions in the state at a price of $4,100 per metric ton of carbon dioxide (CO2). The state's urban tree plantings, meanwhile, have reduced GHG emissions in California for a cost of $54 per metric ton of CO2. The program's ineffectiveness is further compounded by the underlying policy issues that stymie environmental progress in the Golden State. Despite throwing $1.5 billion toward wildfire prevention through the cap-and-trade and additional money in annual budgets, the state continues to experience damaging and expensive wildfire seasons because of stringent environmental regulations under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Getting a restoration project approved "often involves years of analysis, public comment, and litigation before projects can even begin," writes Shawn Regan, vice president of research at the Property and Environment Research Center, in City Journal. These delays increase fire risk and put more people in harm's way. "In 2020, for example, the Berry Creek area in California was devastated by the North Complex Fire while critical thinning projects were mired in CEQA reviews. The fire killed 16 people," explains Regan. State and private land managers in California have set a goal to conduct prescribed burns on 400,000 acres annually by this year, reports The New York Times. In 2023, the most recent year in which data are available, federal and state agencies and private property owners completed prescribed burns on close to 260,000 acres. As California has looked to reduce its energy sector emissions through renewable energy projects and mandates—which have forced Californians to pay some of the highest electricity rates in the country—the state has made it illegal to build clean and reliable nuclear power plants. The state's remaining nuclear power plant—Diablo Canyon—generates about 9 percent of California's electricity and is scheduled to shut down in 2030 unless state lawmakers step in. In a little over a decade, California's cap-and-trade program has increased energy costs for the state's residents while doing little to significantly reduce GHG emissions. With a $12 billion budget shortfall, it could be time for California lawmakers to reevaluate the program. "There are simply better ways to reduce emissions without imposing such a large cost on the state," says Winegarden. The post Gavin Newsom Wants To Make the Country's Most Expensive Gas Even More Expensive appeared first on
