A Climate Policy Firestorm in California

There has been no shortage of climate related news in recent days ⁠— from President Trump’s attack on California’s emissions-trading system to Senator Schumer’s $450 billion electric vehicle proposal, and disastrous wildfires raging in the West to the anniversary of Superstorm Sandy in the East. It’s a grab bag of climate headlines on this week’s episode of Political Climate. We begin by revisiting the wildfire crisis in California, as co-host Shane Skelton copes with a power outage and warnings that his community may soon have to evacuate. Governor Gavin Newsom's administration inherited this challenge, but now that he's in power what's his plan for coping with it? Next we look at the Trump administration's attack on a foundational California climate policy: its cap-and-trade system. Did California overstep by partnering with the province of Quebec? We also look at the latest developments in the clash over California's clean vehicle standards. Finally, we check in on the new bipartisan climate caucus in the Senate and debate the Republican backlash over the Democrats' climate agenda in the House. Recommended reading: Vox: Wildfires and blackouts mean Californians need solar panels and microgrids SacBee: Gov. Newsom calls for Warren Buffett to buy PG&E as widespread power shutoffs continue WSJ: Trump Administration Sues California Over Cap-and-Trade Market Reuters: Senate Democrat Schumer proposes plan to swap gas cars for electric vehicles Reuters: GM, Toyota, Fiat Chrysler back Trump on California Emissions Challenge Washington Examiner: Republicans mount counter to Democrats’ ‘100 by 50’ climate plan Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute, and thanks to invaluable support from producer Victoria Simon. Subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Overcast or any of these other services.