The legal challenge to the adequacy of the California Air Resources Board’s carbon cap-and-trade program came to a formal end Dec. 5. San Francisco Superior Court Judge Ernest Goldsmith concluded the Air Board satisfactorily complied with his order to beef up the sufficiency of its analysis of alternatives to a carbon trading program pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act. “We are pleased with the court’s decision and will continue to implement the full range of climate programs designed to clean our air, reduce greenhouse gases, drive innovation and move California toward a clean energy future.” Stanley Young, Air Resources Board spokesperson, stated. In response to a challenge by the Association of Irritated Residents, Goldsmith last February directed the Air Board to set aside the section of its climate change law scoping plan laying out ground rules for a carbon dioxide trading scheme and voided the supporting documentation.
