California Capitol Hill Event Information

To expand communication between Washington and California, the California Institute provides periodic bulletins, briefings, and other information regarding current activity on Capitol Hill and throughout Washington that affects our state.

The Business Council for Sustainable Energy, the World Resources Institute, & the California Institute for Federal Policy Research

present a Capitol Hill Briefing

The California Global Warming Solutions Act: “What Can Congress Learn from the California Experience?”

When: Tuesday, July 29, 2008, 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm

Location: Rm. 2247 Rayburn House Office Building

The State of California has undertaken a number of important policy steps to address the challenge of climate change. In 2006, the California legislature passed, and Governor Schwarzenegger signed, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, also known as “AB32.” The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is charged with implementing the Act, which requires a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, and recently released its draft Scoping Plan for implementing a cap-and-trade emission reduction program bolstered by multiple complementary policies. A copy of the California AB32 Scoping Plan can be found at: http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/scopingplan/scopingplan.htm .

California will pursue its multi-sector cap-and-trade system in a regional partnership with the Western Climate Initiative, a group of seven Western states and four Canadian provinces. The business and environmental communities of California have been very engaged as CARB has plotted it course.

The panel briefing will feature the Chair of the California Air Resources Board, Mary Nichols, who will outline California’s comprehensive approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and indicate those areas that Congress may find helpful to its federal deliberations. A senior economist from the Union of Concerned Scientists, Christopher Busch, will describe the economic implications of California’s approach. Finally, a senior representative of Sempra Energy, Michael Murray, will outline the key features of the California approach that he considers most relevant to the federal discussions.

Panelists:

Ms. Mary Nichols, Chair, California Air Resources Board

Mr. Christopher Busch, Ph.D., Senior Economist, California Climate Program, The Union of Concerned Scientists

Mr. Michael Murray, Director of Corporate Environmental Policy, Sempra Energy

Moderator: Ms. Debbie Boger, Director, U.S. Climate Policy, World Resources Institute

Please RSVP your attendance to Laura Tierney at the Business Council for Sustainable Energy, Tel: 202-785-0507, E-mail: [email protected]

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