Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Vehicle Miles Traveled: Integrating the California Environmental Quality Act with the California Global Warming Solutions Act

摘要

The AB 32 climate action regime has stimulated widespread interest in reducing GHG emissions associated with land use decisions. As noted by SB 375, land use changes related to the transportation sector could significantlyrnimpact the state's emissions-and will be necessary if California is to achieve the goals set in AB 32-because vehicle miles traveled are such a high contributor to greenhouse gases in California. Reductions in VMT are largely beyond the reach of existing policy measures designed to reduce GHG emissions from mobile sources, including AB 1493 (covering vehicle emissions) and Executive Order S-01-07 (covering the carbon content of fuels). Although the significance of the transportation sector's contributions to global wanning is recognized by policy makers in California, AB 32 is not likely to be a direct mechanism for regulating emissions from vehicle miles traveled in the transportation sector. SB 375 begins to bridge the VMT gap in GHG regulation, but it is likely to reach only a small subset of land use changes that could more cost-effectively ensure AB 32 success.