CARB approves changes to LCFS

October 1, 2018 |

In California, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved changes to the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) last week designed to make the program a more versatile, comprehensive tool in the fight against climate change.

Since 2011, the LCFS has been a cornerstone of California’s effort to reduce greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions and has spurred innovation in low-carbon transportation fuels such as hydrogen, electricity and biodiesel. Last year, the LCFS resulted in more than two billion gallons of petroleum and natural gas being replaced with cleaner, renewable transportation fuels.

The standard currently requires a 10 percent reduction in the “carbon intensity” of California’s transportation fuels by 2020. Carbon intensity is determined by the amount of carbon emitted throughout a fuel’s entire life cycle, from extraction or production to combustion.

The amendments approved by the Board require a 20 percent reduction in carbon intensity by 2030, the most stringent requirement in the nation. The new requirement aligns with California’s overall 2030 target of reducing climate changing emissions 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030, which was set by Senate Bill 32 and signed by Governor Brown in 2016.

Category: Fuels

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