Newsom touts billions in climate spending through California's cap-and-trade program

Key Facts

• Over the past decade, a signature California program that charges polluters for their planet-heating emissions has generated billions of dollars for state initiatives, and Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday that these revenues are effectively helping to reduce pollution and combat climate change.
• Experts have said that the current emission reductions aren’t on pace to meet the state’s climate goals and that the way state officials track the benefits of the spending overstates the actual effects in reducing emissions.
• But Newsom said the funded projects to date are “proof points” that the program is delivering the benefits it was designed to bring, and helping the state toward its greenhouse gas reduction goals.
• State officials said more than 578,000 projects funded through the California Climate Investments program have supported thousands of jobs, while reducing emissions and protecting public health.

Click To Read Full Article