Integrating Regional Energy Policy with California’s Go-it-Alone Climate Policy

California recently extended its cap-and-trade program to 2030, including very ambitious economy wide targets. At the same time, the success of renewable support policies in the state is increasing the urgency of moving from a single-state wholesale electricity market to a western regional structure. These two processes interact in important ways and create unique technical, governance and legal risks. Successfully integrating regional energy governance with widely disparate views on climate policy is in the west’s interest, and will advance California’s energy and climate objectives, but must be approached with awareness of both its opportunities and its risks.

Speaker: Michael Wara, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment