Gov. Brown Says Republican Support Needed On Cap-And-Trade Renewal
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – The latest on Gov. Brown's work ahead of his trip to China to talk climate change:
10:15 a.m.
Gov. Jerry Brown says he'll need Republicans' help to renew California's cap-and-trade program, a key piece of his legacy.
The program caps the state's carbon emissions and requires polluters to obtain permits before releasing climate-changing gases. It will expire in 2020 if lawmakers don't reauthorize it. Brown is pushing for a vote this year.
He asked the California Chamber of Commerce on Thursday to help bring Republicans on board.
Brown is pushing for a two-thirds vote to renew the law in order to prevent lawsuits. Democrats hold legislative supermajorities, but some Democrats want the law to go further in regulating emissions. Brown's comments indicate he may be opting for a more centrist approach.
Brown's remarks come a day before he heads to China to promote climate-reduction policies.
6:36 a.m.
On the heels of warning that the country will go backward if President Trump withdraws from the Paris Agreement, Gov. Jerry Brown will host a breakfast Thursday morning before leaving for China.
Gov. Brown will head to Beijing on Friday for a weeklong visit to encourage more climate change cooperation.
News that President Trump had decided to leave the Paris Agreement brought harsh words from Brown.
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The governor – who has become a leader in the fight against climate change – said that if Trump does pull the US out of the agreement, it will "galvanize activists."
"Because his denial, his statement that climate change is a hoax is so absurd and so unbelievable and so outrageous that the grassroots governors—people around the world have galvanized and he's actually creating the exact opposite of what he wants," Gov. Brown said in an interview with CBS13 on Wednesday.
The governor's breakfast starts at 8:30 a.m., inside the Sacramento Convention Center.
Brown will be attending an international climate summit in China.