On February 23, 2026, the Joint Legislative Committee on Climate Change Policies held a hearing on the reauthorization of Cap and Invest, California’s climate program. The following testimony was given to the committee by Allison Hilliard, Legislative Manager for The Climate Center: I want to align my comments with NRDC’s and add that the proposed … Read more
A new report by The Climate Center finds that, between 2013 and 2024, California funneled $27.8 billion to corporate polluters through two state climate programs designed to cut climate pollution: the Cap and Invest program and the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). These funds were intended to incentivize low-carbon transportation, including electric vehicles and public … Read more
California’s flagship climate programs funneled nearly $28 billion to oil companies and biofuel suppliers from 2013 to 2024, according to a new report from The Climate Center. Cap and Invest (formerly known as Cap and Trade) and the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) are often referred to as California’s “signature” climate programs, designed to make … Read more
SACRAMENTO — California’s carbon trading programs funneled $27.8 billion to oil companies and biofuel suppliers from 2013 to 2024, according to a new report from The Climate Center released today. The report, Clearing the Zero-Emission Path: A Review of Financial Transfers to Polluting Fuels via California Carbon Trading Programs, finds the combined value of free … Read more
This report reveals how California’s carbon trading programs funneled $27.8 billion to oil companies and biofuel suppliers from 2013 to 2024. Both the Cap and Trade program and the Low Carbon Fuel Standard have the stated purpose of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and helping California meet its statutory climate goals. In reality, our analysis shows … Read more
I can’t believe it, but it’s true. I turn 70 this year, and after 47 years working to secure a better future for all life on our planet, the time has come for me to retire! This is a bittersweet moment: my official last day will be June 30, the end of The Climate Center’s … Read more
A few weeks ago, the Trump administration reintroduced plans to open nearly 2 million acres of California’s public lands to oil drilling and possibly fracking through the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM). In 2019, a coalition of California environmental groups successfully fought off Trump’s first attempts to open these lands — including areas close … Read more
Between 2013 and 2024, California distributed nearly $28 billion to the oil industry and biofuel companies from two state climate programs: the Low Carbon Fuel Standard and the Cap and Invest program. That is the research finding that was presented in this webinar by the authors of a new report by The Climate Center: Clearing … Read more
I’m thrilled that The Climate Center is attending the United Nations annual climate conference once again. This year’s 30th “Conference of the Parties,” or COP30, brings together governmental representatives from almost every country in the world, along with tens of thousands from civil society, to advance climate action. Chief Program Officer Barry Vesser and Legislative … Read more
This year’s United Nations climate conference, COP30 in Belém, Brazil, brought together world leaders to share how they’re tackling climate change back home. With an anti-science, pro-oil president, the world is counting on California to step up on climate. California leaders, and especially Governor Newsom, must defend California’s climate progress against attacks from the fossil … Read more
