California residential utility customers will receive a 'climate dividend', about $30 twice a year as part of the nation's first comprehensive 'cap & trade' program if the CA Public Utility Commission accepts a staff proposal at its Dec. 20 meeting,
David R. Baker explains the details of the climate dividend and the "complicated rules" involved in the Air Resources Board giving the state's "electric utilities all of the carbon permits they would need in the first year for free". In turn, the utilities "had to sell those permits - called allowances - at an auction held last Wednesday (Nov. 14)".
The climate dividend would come from the sale of those allowances and would mean no net increase in utility rates for residential customers. In addition, commercial customers would receive a small percentage from the sale of allowances.
"On the basis of today's decision, we have a solid blueprint for helping customers ease into a carbon pricing regime, and reap the benefits," said Alex Jackson, legal director of the California climate project at the Natural Resources Defense Council."
The details of the boon to California utility rate-payers were released on Friday, Nov. 17, the same day that Gov. Jerry Brown appeared at the Greenbuild Expo organized by the United States Green Building Council in San Francisco where he praised Wednesday's auction of greenhouse gas permits. Jason Dearen of the Associated Press covered that event, as did John King and David R. Baker of the San Francisco Chronicle.
“Human impact on climate is real,” Brown said. “It is growing, and we need to take steps to stop it or there will be catastrophic consequences.”
While similar to President Obama's acknowledgment of climate change in his speech on Nov. 14, the same day that marked the advent of the cap and trade program with the auction of emission permits, the different paths that California and the nation are taking in response to climate change become evident.
Blogging on the president's speech in The Hill's E2 Wire (Energy & Environment blog) "Obama vows climate efforts but stays vague on agenda", Ben German writes that the president "offered no concrete agenda to expand on current administration policies to address what he called a major threat". However, the president was firm on one aspect of tackling climate change: "...a carbon tax is likely a non-starter".
FULL STORY: Cap and trade may be plum for homeowners
California Cap-and-Trade Overhaul and Extension Emphasizes Dividend and Equity
While California cap-and-trade survived a legal challenge last month, a haze still surrounds the program. Carbon permit sales are low, and the program's longevity is threatened after 2020. A new bill was introduced to transform the program.
Five Key Energy Bills the California Legislature May Decide this Week
Energy stakeholders in California are watching five important bills to see which go forward with three weeks remaining in the legislative season. One would require the state to generate all electricity from renewable sources by 2045.
The High Cost of Burying Power Lines
With speculation that downed power lines and exploding transformers may have caused California's most deadly and destructive wildfires, many question why utility companies don't bury these lines through fire-prone areas.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?
In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving
Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.
Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.
Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding
The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service