Government Energy Policy, Business and Technology

California's Climate Leadership Gets a Boost as Court Upholds Cap and Trade

Inside Climate News: In an important sign that state climate actions may thrive even if federal efforts wither, an appeals court in California upheld the state's ability to auction off carbon pollution permits, the cornerstone of its landmark cap-and-trade program.

Environmental groups who had joined the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to defend its auctions said the decision would help cement California's role as a national and global leader in tackling climate change.

California's cap-and-trade system, including its permit auctions, are central to the state's promise to cut its emissions sharply in the coming decades. Because the state's economy is so large and its program so sophisticated, it presents an opportunity to link to other trading programs, in other U.S. states, in Canadian, Mexican and Brazilian provinces, or elsewhere in the world.

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