Chapter 4.2. Global Warming of California Health And Safety Code >> Division 26. >> Part 2. >> Chapter 4.2.
(a) Notwithstanding Sections 38550 and 38551, no later than
January 1, 2016, the state board shall complete a comprehensive
strategy to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants in the
state. In developing the strategy, the state board shall do all of
the following:
(1) Complete an inventory of sources and emissions of short-lived
climate pollutants in the state based on available data.
(2) Identify research needs to address any data gaps.
(3) Identify existing and potential new control measures to reduce
emissions.
(4) Prioritize the development of new measures for short-lived
climate pollutants that offer cobenefits by improving water quality
or reducing other air pollutants that impact community health and
benefit disadvantaged communities, as identified pursuant to Section
39711.
(5) Coordinate with other state agencies and districts to develop
measures identified as part of the comprehensive strategy.
(b) As part of the strategy developed pursuant to subdivision (a),
the state board shall consult with experts in academia, industry,
and the community on short-lived climate pollutants. The topics shall
include, but not be limited to, all of the following:
(1) Assessment of the current status of controls that directly or
indirectly reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants in the
state.
(2) Identification of opportunities and challenges for controlling
emissions.
(3) Recommendations to further reduce emissions.
(c) To provide a forum for public engagement, the state board
shall hold at least one public workshop during the development of the
strategy required pursuant to subdivision (a).
(d) For purposes of this section, "short-lived climate pollutant"
means an agent that has a relatively short lifetime in the
atmosphere, from a few days to a few decades, and a warming influence
on the climate that is more potent than that of carbon dioxide.
(e) This section does not affect the existing authority of a state
agency to adopt and implement rules and regulations that result in
the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions or short-lived climate
pollutants to the extent authorized or required by existing law.
The state board shall do all of the following:
(a) Undertake, in consultation with districts that monitor
methane, monitoring and measurements of high-emission methane hot
spots in the state using the best available and cost-effective
scientific and technical methods.
(b) Consult with federal and state agencies, independent
scientific experts, and any other appropriate entities to gather or
acquire the necessary information for the purpose of carrying out a
life-cycle greenhouse gas emission analysis of natural gas produced
and imported into the state using the best available and
cost-effective scientific and technical methods.
(c) Update relevant policies and programs to incorporate the
information gathered and acquired pursuant to subdivisions (a) and
(b).
(d) Review, in consultation with independent scientific experts,
the most recent available scientific data and reports on the
atmospheric reactivity of methane as a precursor to the formation of
photochemical oxidants.