California Air Resources Board targets for greenhouse gas reductions

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) set final targets for greenhouse gas reductions that included 5 million metric tons from land use and regional transportation sectors. That target, considerably lower than what environmental groups were pushing for, means that about 3 percent of total cuts will come from these sectors. The plan is a blueprint for the state to trim its greenhouse gas emissions back to 1990 levels by 2020, an initial step in the state’s plan to eventually cut CO2 emissions by 80 percent by 2050. The CARB decision appears to put minimal pressure on suburban municipalities and developers in the short term.