SACRAMENTO — Escalating California's battle against global warming, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to announce today that he will order a 10% cut in motor vehicle emissions of greenhouse gases, mainly carbon dioxide.
Under the proposal, petroleum refiners and gasoline sellers would be ordered to reduce the carbon content of their fuels over the next 13 years.
The order could also usher in a new generation of alternative fuels in California, experts say, as refiners consider adding ethanol or other biofuels into gasoline blends. It could also mean a shift of part of the state's auto fleet to hydrogen or electric power.
Experts have said the changes could mean an increase in fuel prices over the years, but industry officials declined to comment Monday.
"Basically, California is signaling the beginning of a whole new era for fuels and for renewable energy," said Fred Krupp, president of Environmental Defense, a New York-based activist group.
Schwarzenegger plans to include the environmental proposal as part of his annual State of the State address. Contents of the planned executive order were disclosed to The Times by industry sources and confirmed by administration officials familiar with the plan.
A white paper by Schwarzenegger advisors and obtained by The Times said, "To protect our jobs and wages, clean our air, cool our Earth and maintain our way of life, we must diversify our fuel sources and reduce our reliance on oil."
Such an order would be the first major step in implementing the state's landmark law approved last fall that requires California to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 25% by 2020. Greenhouse gases, which trap heat in the atmosphere, are considered a major cause of global warming.
The governor's executive decree, which would be issued in the coming weeks and trigger a lengthy rule-making process, would increase the range of fuels powering the state's cars and trucks. State law grants the governor authority to regulate fuel content.
Democratic lawmakers who provided the votes to pass the landmark law are expected to welcome the news. But Republicans, who opposed the law, probably will be more skeptical.
The governor's initiative "is building on our earlier joint effort" in passing the law, AB 32, said the bill's sponsor, Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (D-Los Angeles).
"We're going to continue to move this thing forward," he said.
