Not enough or too far? California climate plan pleases few

By KATHLEEN RONAYNE
Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A top California official says heat waves and drought gripping California highlight the urgency to slash fossil fuel use and remove planet-warming emissions from the air. California EPA Secretary Jared Blumenfeld spoke Thursday as state air regulators opened a hearing on a new climate-change roadmap for the state. It lays out a plan to reach carbon neutrality by 2045. That means the state would remove as much carbon from the air as it emits. The timeline is among the most ambitious in the nation and world. But many environmental critics say it relies too much on carbon removal technology and doesn’t do enough to reduce reliance on oil and gas.