In July 2017, California lawmakers voted to extend California’s Cap and Trade system until 2030, with support from both Democrat and Republican lawmakers. This proved a landmark moment for climate change policy in the US, as so far Republican lawmakers have generally been opposed to legislation on carbon reductions – particularly cap and trade.

California’s cap and trade program is a particularly important step towards the US’s emissions reduction goals under the Paris Agreement, as it aims to reduce carbon emissions by 180 million metric tons by 2030, and is linked to cap and trade programs in Alberta and Quebec, promoting international cooperation on climate change and demonstrating that a market-based approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions can be implemented on a large scale. The framework that California has created for its cap and trade program could be expanded to include other states or provinces across the US and Canada.

The response from politicians across the country has also been extremely polarized – many Republicans call for the removal of the eight Republicans who voted to approve the measure, but many others call for more Republicans in other states to do the same. Depending on the future success of the California Republicans who supported the bill, it could mark a turning point in the partisan division over climate change in the US.

The extension of California’s cap and trade program represents a bold move forward in climate action. The fact that it was passed with both Republican and Democratic support demonstrates that it is possible to focus on climate change mitigation policy despite partisan differences, a necessary political change in the American political landscape.

Personal letters, emails and phone calls have the most influence and impact on decision makers and policy makers so we encourage you to contact each individual directly. However if you don’t have time, fill out your name and email and click below and the message will be sent on behalf of yourself and Climate Scorecard.

The future support of other Republican lawmakers for climate change mitigation policies relies on the support of their constituents. Call your state representatives to voice your support for climate action.

Examples of state representatives include:

California:

Assembly Member Katharine Baker (R-District 16)
Capitol Office, Room 2130
P.O. Box 942849, Sacramento, CA 94249-0016; (916) 319-2016 
District Office
2440 Camino Ramon, Suite 345, San Ramon, CA 94583; (925) 328-1515

Senator Tom Berryhill (R-8th District)
Capitol Office, State Capitol, Room 3067, Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 651-4008

Massachusetts:

Representative Kate Campanale (R)
Phone: 617-722-2488
Email: Kate.Campanale@mahouse.gov

Senator Ryan Fattman (R)
Phone: 617-722-1420
Email: Ryan.Fattman@masenate.gov