Low Carbon Fuel Standard Decision Postponed

The California Air Resources Board or CARB has postponed a March 21 public hearing to consider amendments to the Low Carbon Fuel Standard, which have been strongly criticized by environmentalists and environmental justice advocates for continued high levels of subsidies for biofuels (nearly 80% of money spent in 2022) rather than zero-emission fuels like electricity.

However, the public comment period, which ended Feb 20, was not extended. CARB also said, “Staff plans to host a workshop in mid-April 2024 to discuss potential refinements to the proposed regulatory amendments.”

On Twitter, Earthjustice attorney Adrian Martinez called it “positive news” that CARB’s leadership “recognized the need for more time to vet” the standard. “This additional time will benefit all Californians by allowing common sense fixes to the current proposal to make this program support our zero-emission future,” he wrote.

Martinez had previously submitted a public comment for Earthjustice asking that the standards not be voted on at CARB’s March 21 meeting, arguing that the process was rushed and that new CARB board members who did not participate in the last LCFS standard update (10 of 16, including the chair, Liane Randolph) would “benefit from more time to understand the program and the menu of policy options available to them.”