U.S. climate battleground shifts to California as Newsom, Trump spar

Cap and trade proposal, electric car mandate test community desire to move toward transition

This column is for Callaway Climate Insights subscribers only, but it’s OK to share once in a while. Was it shared with you? Please subscribe.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at an event in 2024 for the state’s project to cover canals with solar panels. The project is now generating electricity in Central California. Photo: Bureau of Reclamation. The rainbow is real.

California has always been ground zero of the battle against global warming, with fires, massive storms and droughts a way of life in the Golden State. This week we’ll get a sense just how serious Gov. Gavin Newsom is about combating the ravages of climate change when he authorizes an extension of a controversial cap and trade law.

A reauthorization of cap and trade, which has raised some $33 billion for communities to help transition to clean energy in the decade since it was developed, has always been in the cards. The question is how far Newsom will extend it past its sunset date of 2030 and whether he’ll allow lawmakers more freedom in deciding how to better use the proceeds.

But it will also be an important test for how far Newsom wants to take his battle over climate change against President Donald Trump, and whether there is enough support to make it a major issue in political elections in the next few years. The program, which puts a price on emissions of greenhouse gases in California and allows companies to trade allowances, will be included in Newsom’s budget next week but might be announced separately any day now.