California Announces Ambitious Greenhouse Gas Emission Reductions

On April 29, 2015, California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. issued Executive Order B-30-15, which sets a new interim statewide greenhouse gas emission reduction target of 40% below 1990 levels by 2030. This target parallels the European Union’s 2030 greenhouse gas emission reduction goal that was announced last October.

The Executive Order requires state agencies to prepare an implementation plan by September 2015 to outline actions that will be taken to meet this goal and to report on actions taken by June 2016. The Governor set this interim goal to ensure California meets its long-term target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. According to a press release from the Governor’s office, California is on track to meet or exceed its current greenhouse gas reduction target of matching 1990 levels by 2020.