California has identified the deployment of carbon dioxide removal, including direct air capture and biomass carbon removal, as necessary to achieving the state’s climate goals. As newer technologies the federal Department of Energy is awarding four grants of roughly $500-700 million each to establish Regional Direct Air Capture Hubs (“DAC Hubs”) to support early development. […]
Reflections on the inaugural California Biomass Workshop
Last week Conservation Strategy Group and the UC Davis Policy Institute for Energy, Environment and Economy co-hosted the inaugural California Biomass Workshop to address the key challenges and opportunities in delivering a sustainable bioeconomy to California. Over 200 attendees from state and federal agencies, tribes, research organizations, technology developers, community groups and environmental NGOs led […]
Inaugural California Biomass Workshop a key opportunity for progress
California’s rural communities are in the grip of a wood waste crisis – with millions of tons of residues from wildfire prevention and agriculture being piled and burned or left to decompose every year, causing major carbon and air pollution. This problem is expected to become significantly worse as the state ramps up its forest […]
Study finds public financing of transmission could save ratepayers billions
A rapid and significant expansion in transmission infrastructure this decade is key for California to meet its ambitious climate goals. However, this build-out will be expensive – with the potential to overburden ratepayers and undermine the state’s clean energy transition. Strategies to minimize the cost of transmission are therefore an important consideration for policymakers. In an […]
CARB’s opportunity on low-carbon fuels
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) will soon initiate a series of regulatory proceedings on different programs to cement the ambitions of the 2022 Scoping Plan into state policy. One of the first – and perhaps the most consequential – will be the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). The LCFS is one of the state’s […]
Accelerating advance mitigation in California
California is set to spend hundreds of billions – if not trillions – of dollars over the coming decades on projects to adapt to a changing climate, deploy clean energy and upgrade aging infrastructure. It is crucial that these investments minimize their impact on natural resources and maximize high-quality conservation outcomes. Innovative conservation planning tools, […]
Governor Signs Budget: CSG Looks at What’s Ahead for Water, Climate, and Conservation
Last week, Governor Brown signed the 2015-16 State Budget and accompanying trailer bills, including the Resources Trailer Bill, SB 83, and the Water Trailer Bill, SB 88. These trailer bills provide further direction on expenditures in the budget, including those related to the drought. The budget includes $1.8 billion of Proposition 1 funding to various […]