Transportation

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Testimony: Protect funding for climate investments in the Cap and Invest program

On August 12, 2026, the California Senate Budget Subcommittee 2 held a hearing on potential reforms to the state’s Cap and Invest program. As currently proposed, the changes could result in $2 billion losses for the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) each year, which funds investments in low-carbon transportation, clean air and water, sustainable agriculture, … Read more

Categories Carbon Drawdown Natural Carbon Sequestration Transportation
| Blog Post

What to look for in Governor Newsom’s May Revise state budget

Governor Newsom at UN Climate Week in 2023, where he committed to sign SB 253 and 261. Photo: Office of the California Governor.

On May 14, Governor Newsom released his proposed state budget for 2026-2027. This “May Revise,” as it’s known, is an update to the budget the governor originally proposed in January, which included devastating cuts to state climate investments. The budget process is complex, but it’s an incredibly important piece of California’s climate progress. Our state’s … Read more

Categories Clean Energy Community Energy Resilience Transportation
| Blog Post

How EVs can help solve three of California’s toughest challenges at once

California continues to lead the nation in EV adoption, even without federal tax incentives. In fact, electric and other zero-emission vehicles made up about 23 percent of new car sales in 2025, with more than 2.5 million new EVs sold since 2011 in the state.  Accelerating EV adoption even further could help California tackle three … Read more

Categories Community Energy Resilience Transportation

How Electric Vehicles and Solar Can Cut Costs and Boost Energy Resilience

Zoom

California leads the nation in residential solar power and electric vehicle (EV) adoption. Our state has the opportunity to integrate these technologies into the electricity grid to lower energy bills and prevent power outages, even in the face of climate-fueled extreme weather. In this webinar, speakers discussed new technology that can accelerate this Vehicle-Grid Integration … Read more

| Press Release

New report reveals California funneled $28 billion to corporate polluters via carbon trading programs

Webinar on February 19 will unpack findings and explore policy solutions

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

Categories Fossil Fuels Just Transition Transportation
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Clearing the Zero-Emission Path

A review of financial transfers to polluting fuels via California carbon trading programs

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

Categories Fossil Fuels Just Transition Transportation

Collaborating Across Sectors to Accelerate Electric School Bus Adoption for Reliable Energy

Zoom

Transitioning to electric school buses presents a unique opportunity to bring together diverse stakeholders for a common mission: securing clean air, health for our kids, living wage jobs, and a reliable and affordable electricity system.  In this webinar, we heard from leaders working across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors for mass adoption of bidirectional … Read more

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Testimony: Transitioning to a clean transportation future in California

On August 20, 2025, the Assembly Utilities and Energy, Natural Resources, and Transportation Committees held a joint hearing on how to further an equitable transition from fossil fuels to clean transportation fuels. The following testimony was given to the committees by Allison Hilliard, Legislative Manager for The Climate Center: We need bold, equitable action to … Read more

Categories Fossil Fuels Just Transition Transportation

California Bidirectional Electric School Bus Policy Coalition Meeting

David Brower Center, 2150 Allston Way, Suite 100, Berkeley, California 94704, Tamalpais Room 

California has led the nation in electric school bus adoption, now home to nearly one-quarter of all electric school buses nationwide. However, without a unified strategy, California could miss opportunities to leverage these buses as grid resources to enhance the affordability, resilience, and reliability of the state’s electrical grid. This meeting opened with presentations on … Read more

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California should go on offense over EVs

On June 12, President Trump signed congressional resolutions to repeal California’s vehicle emissions clean air standards and revoked California’s 2035 electric vehicle sales mandate. Then on June 20, the Supreme Court ruled that oil companies can sue states over vehicle emissions standards in the future. And now, Republicans are pushing a budget bill that would … Read more

Categories Clean Energy Community Energy Resilience Transportation