Gov. Jerry Brown plans to further cut greenhouse gases, including reaching 50 percent renewable power, cutting oil use by vehicles 50 percent, and doubling the energy efficiency of existing buildings by 2030. Brown outlined the goals—which also call for cleaner heating fuel—during his inaugural address Jan. 5.<!--more--> “California has the most far-reaching environmental laws of any state and the most integrated policy to deal with climate change of any political jurisdiction in the Western Hemisphere,” Brown told lawmakers and others in the audience. “These efforts, impressive though they are, are not enough.” He said “it is time to establish our next set of objectives for 2030 and beyond.” Among his other goals on climate change and energy, Brown called for reducing methane, black carbon, and other emissions. He wants better management of farms, rangelands, forests, and wetlands to store carbon. The governor said that to accomplish his goals he plans “a wide range of initiatives: more distributed power, expanded rooftop solar, micro-grids, an energy imbalance market, battery storage, the full integration of information technology and electrical distribution and millions of electric and low-carbon vehicles.” Environmentalists applauded the governor’s pronouncements. The California Manufacturer’s & Technology Association in a statement did not oppose the governor’s plans, but urged economic balance in carrying them out. The California Air Resources Board said in a fact sheet that existing state standards for motor vehicles should cut state oil use by cars and trucks 20 percent by 2030. Additional actions needed to reduce oil use by half include more public transit and transit-oriented development, continued incentives for purchasing zero emissions vehicles, and a stronger low carbon fuel standard. The current low carbon fuel standard seeks to cut carbon emissions from motor fuels 10 percent by 2020. <em>—William J. Kelly</em>