The report finds that California’s ambitious climate policies resulted in a total economic benefit of $13.4 billion. The Economic Impacts of California’s Major Climate Programs on the San Joaquin Valley addresses compliance and investment costs, as well as benefits across the region, and finds a net boost to the Valley’s economy from the state’s major climate programs, including the creation of tens of thousands of jobs.
Researchers looked at three key California climate and clean energy policies: 1) cap and trade, which established a market designed to reduce carbon emissions from major polluters; 2) the renewables portfolio standard (RPS), which calls for California to get 33 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020, growing to 50 percent by 2030; and 3) energy efficiency programs run by investor-owned utilities and overseen by the Public Utilities Commission.
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