Chapter 4. State Agency Greenhouse Gas Reduction Report Card of California Government Code >> Division 3. >> Title 2. >> Part 2.5. >> Chapter 4.

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
  (a) The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (Division 25.5 (commencing with Section 38500) of the Health and Safety Code) requires all state agencies to consider and implement measures to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
  (b) Executive Order S-3-05 issued by the Governor on June 1, 2005, commits state agencies to climate emission reduction targets as part of overall state emission reduction targets.
  (c) It is vital that state government lead by example in meeting California's greenhouse gas emission requirements.
  (d) The purpose of this chapter is to do all of the following:
  (1) Ensure that state agencies consider and implement measures and strategies under their authority to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in furtherance of the targets in the Climate Action Team Report and the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006.
  (2) Establish routine, quantified, verified, consistent, and public reporting of those measures and their effectiveness in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
  (3) Ensure that these reports and metrics are independently audited and verified to achieve compliance.

For the purposes of this chapter, the following terms have the following meanings:
  (a) "Agency" means the California Environmental Protection Agency.
  (b) "Climate Action Team Report" means the report prepared pursuant to Executive Order S-3-05 and submitted to the Governor and the Legislature in March 2006.
  (c) "GHG" means greenhouse gas as defined in subdivision (g) of Section 38505 of the Health and Safety Code.
  (d) "GHG emission reduction target" means a target established for a state agency in the Climate Action Team Report, or a requirement made applicable to that state agency by an action taken by the State Air Resources Board pursuant to Division 25.5 (commencing with Section 38500) of the Health and Safety Code.
  (e) "Secretary" means the Secretary for Environmental Protection.
  (f) "State agency" means a state agency listed in the Climate Action Team Report, a state office, department, division, bureau, board, or commission whose operations or programs result in greenhouse gas emissions that are subject to Division 25.5 (commencing with Section 38500) of the Health and Safety Code, and any other state agency listed in Section 12800, as determined by the secretary.

(a) On or before October 1 of each year, each state agency shall prepare and submit to the secretary in a standardized format as determined by the agency all of the following:
  (1) A list of those measures that have been adopted and implemented by the state agency to meet GHG emission reduction targets and a status report on actual GHG emissions reduced as a result of these measures.
  (2) A list and timetable for adoption of any additional measures needed to meet GHG emission reduction targets.
  (3) An estimate of the department's own greenhouse gas emissions, as well as an explanation of any increase or decrease compared to the previous year's emissions.
  (b) In order to reduce paperwork and workload, information required to be submitted pursuant to this section may be submitted in a standardized electronic format as determined by the agency.
  (c) On or before January 1 of each year, the agency shall compile and organize the information submitted pursuant to this section into a clear, standardized format, and shall provide that information on the agency's Internet Web site in the form of a state agency greenhouse gas emission reduction report card.
  (d) The report card shall compare the actions taken and proposed to be taken by individual state agencies and their projected annual GHG emission reductions against the state agency GHG emission reduction targets and statewide GHG emission reduction limits.
  (e) Where appropriate, the report card shall include a statement regarding the independent audits required by Section 12893.
  (f) In conjunction with the Governor's Budget submitted pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 12 of Article IV of the California Constitution, on or before January 10 of each year, the agency shall submit to the Legislature a comprehensive budget display that includes both of the following:
  (1) Funding proposals and base funding in the proposed Governor's Budget for state agencies implementing climate solutions to meet the greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets as specified in the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (Division 25.5 (commencing with Section 38500) of the Health and Safety Code).
  (2) A five-year work plan summary for each department included in the comprehensive budget display that shows how staff and contracting resources will be allocated to achieve specified climate solution deliverables.

Not less than once every three years, each state agency reporting pursuant to Section 12892 shall, to the extent funds are available, conduct an independent audit in a standardized format determined by the agency and verification of the actual and proposed GHG emissions reductions achieved by that state agency in order to ensure that the state agency is achieving GHG emission reduction targets.