On March 28, 2012, the California Energy Commission voted unanimously to suspend the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) eligibility guidelines for certification of power plants generating electricity using biomethane. In 2011, California’s Legislature passed Senate Bill X1-2 that raised the RPS to 33% by 2020, one of the most aggressive renewable energy mandates in the country. The Commission asserted its decision was necessary to provide it “additional time to evaluate the RPS eligibility of biomethane as
biofuels
Roadblock to California Greenhouse Gas Cap and Trade Program Removed, but Others Remain
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By Michael Feeley and Aron Potash
A lawsuit which delayed and once threatened to dismantle California’s greenhouse gas (GHG) cap and trade scheme was largely resolved last week, removing one roadblock to California’s plan to be the first state to impose an economy-wide GHG trading program. Under modified regulations adopted by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) on October 20, 2011, California will require certain emitters of GHGs to obtain allowances or offsets in amounts commensurate to their respective emissions…