In a letter to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) sent on July 22, 2022, California Governor Gavin Newsom outlined new targets to fast-track the state’s transition to cleaner energy and reduction of statewide greenhouse gas emissions. In his letter, Governor Newsom outlined the following actions:
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Establish a California Energy Commission planning goal of at least 20 GW of offshore wind energy by 2045;
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Make 3 million homes climate-ready and install 6 million heat pumps by 2030, scaling up to 7 million climate-ready homes by 2035 and directing 50 percent of investments to low-income and disadvantaged communities;
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Transition away from natural gas and petroleum production;
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Create a Task Force to identify and mitigate methane leaks from oil well infrastructure; and
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Increase the scale of carbon sequestration by removing 20 MMT of carbon by 2030 and 100 MMT of carbon by 2045.
Governor Newsom requested the inclusion of these goals into the current working draft of California’s 2022 Scoping Plan, a document that details pathways to meeting the state’s climate goals of reducing statewide emissions levels by 40 percent from 1990 levels by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. In addition to offering the outlined targets, Governor Newsom’s letter also underscores the importance of addressing the needs of disadvantaged communities, supporting job creation through clean energy installation projects and domestic manufacturing, and reducing dependence on fossil fuels to achieve public health and climate goals. Please click here for the full letter.