A California judge put rules on hold implementing the state's greenhouse gas laws including cap and trade rules adopted last year [under AB 32]....The board and those who brought the lawsuit, an alliance of environmental groups led by the San Francisco-based Center on Race, Policy and the Environment, have until Tuesday to respond before the court makes a final ruling.
Basically, an "alliance of environmental groups" is suing to have the California Air Resource Board's authority to implement its carbon reduction measures as set up by AB 32 interrupted. Based on the little reporting available so far on this news, I can't determine with any kind of assurance if CARB broke any serious guidelines in creating and adopting its cap-and-trade policy. However, I have to wonder about the wisdom of the Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment in challenging (and potentially delaying indefinitely) one of the most ambitious environmental programs in California's already impressive history by accusing CARB of not achieving proper environmental review.
I haven't kept secret my opinion that cap-and-trade has serious limitations. But it is at the very least a symbolic act of progress, and a market signal to clean tech companies that their business will be welcome in California. And to go from campaigning to uphold AB 32 during last year's elections (against the proponents of Prop 23) to suing to have it delayed makes no sense to me.
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