Newsom’s office signaled that the governor wants to focus on both climate change and air pollution. | Daniel Kim/The Sacramento Bee via AP, Pool, File Newsom can put his stamp on California’s world-leading air board By DEBRA KAHN 11/03/2020 11:44 AM EST SAN FRANCISCO — Gov. Gavin Newsom has a major appointment looming — and it has nothing to do with Sen. Kamala Harris ‘ seat. Newsom has an opportunity to put his stamp on the Golden State’s pioneering environmental policies by appointing the influential chair of California’s leading policymaking body on climate change and air pollution.
Already, potential leaders are jockeying for the position before California Air Resources Board Chair Mary Nichols departs after more than a decade at the helm. The battle is laying bare tensions over the future of the agency that could determine how the state will rein in both conventional and greenhouse gas pollution. The air board’s policies not only affect California but have national and international reach, such as its tailpipe emissions standards that are stricter than the federal government’s.
In letters to Newsom, environmental justice groups are advocating for a chair who will steer the agency away from its cap-and-trade program that […]
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