Environmental Group Hails California Decision on Low Carbon Fuels: Announcement Marks Major Step Forward in Fight Against Climate Change

Contact: Seth Kaplan, 617-850-1721, skaplan@clf.org
Sue Reid, sreid@clf.org
Caitlin Inglehart, 617-850-1755, cinglehart@clf.org

BOSTON, MA (April 24, 2009) The Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) today praised the California Air Resources Board’s decision to approve first-in-the-nation low-carbon fuel standards as part of that state’s effort to reduce emissions of the pollutants that cause global warming.

“We will never really address global warming unless we get serious about pollution from cars and trucks – the emissions from the transportation sector,” said Seth Kaplan , CLF’s Vice President for Climate Advocacy. “These new California regulations, once again, set the mark for the rest of the states and the federal government – and we must quickly follow in their footsteps.”

The rules call for reducing the carbon content of fuels sold in California by 10 per cent by 2020. Importantly, the rules will address recent questions about the environmental benefits of some alternative fuels, such as corn ethanol, by requiring accounting of the full lifecycle impacts including both tailpipe and upstream emissions. Upstream emissions include all pollutants created in the process of getting a fuel to market, whether from drilling a new oil well or from converting forests to cornfields.

“Transportation is the single largest and fastest growing source of climate pollution on both coasts,” said CLF Attorney Sue Reid, who testified at yesterday’s hearing in California . “While California is the first to act, they are far from alone – a coalition of 11 Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States are engaged in a similar effort. Combined, these initiatives should establish a large and robust market for clean fuel technologies.”

In addition to CLF’s testimony, 11 states sent a joint letter to the California Air Resources Board supporting the new rules. Those states included Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania.

The Conservation Law Foundation (www.clf.org) works to solve the most significant environmental challenges facing New England. CLF’s advocates use law, economics and science to create innovative strategies to conserve natural resources, protect public health and promote vital communities in our region. Founded, in 1966, CLF is a nonprofit, member-supported organization with offices in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.