The California Air Resources Board ("ARB") published a
Concept Paper on May 7, 2015, proposing
initial strategies for reducing emissions of short-lived climate
pollutants ("SLCPs"). SB 605, signed into law by Governor
Jerry Brown on September 21, 2014, directs ARB to develop a
comprehensive strategy by January 1, 2016, for reducing SLCP
emissions. SLCPs are agents with a relatively shorter lifetime in
the atmosphere but a greater warming influence than carbon
dioxide.
ARB's Concept Paper identifies three categories of
SLCPs—methane, black carbon (particulate matter from
combustion sources), and fluorinated gases—that ARB estimates
may be responsible for up to 40 percent of global warming to date.
The Concept Paper contains "initial ideas" for reducing
SLCP emissions. ARB will publish an initial draft Strategy and hold
public discussion forums in the summer of 2015, and it will present
a draft Strategy to the Board during the fall of 2015.
In developing the SLCP strategy, ARB will consider, for example,
how to reduce methane emissions from California's natural gas
infrastructure and agricultural sector (particularly dairies),
eliminate the disposal of organic material in landfills, and expand
the use of wastewater treatment facilities to recapture renewable natural gas and soil amendments.
Regarding black carbon, ARB will look to expand upon ongoing
programs for reducing diesel particulate matter emissions in the
freight transportation and other sectors, and black carbon
emissions from burning biomass (such as wood stoves, agricultural
wastes, and wild fires). ARB will consider regulations limiting or
prohibiting the use of high-global-warming-potential fluorinated
gases from new refrigeration and air conditioning units, insulating
foams, and aerosols, and for reducing leaks from current and
end-of-life units.
ARB also is moving toward readoption of the Low Carbon Fuel Standard ("LCFS").
In Poet, LLC v. ARB (2013), the California Court
of Appeals ordered ARB to correct deficiencies in the rulemaking
process and readopt the LCFS. ARB published a proposed regulation
readopting the LCFS in December 2014 and an amended version in June
2015. The amendments would, among other things, streamline the
process for recertification of certain fuel pathways previously
certified under the original regulation and remove certain
limitations on the sale or transfer of LCFS credits. ARB will hold
a public hearing on the proposed amended regulation on September
24, 2015.
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