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Cap and trade coming despite California court ruling: BC minister

A blow against cap and trade in a California court last week won't delay British Columbia's plans to adopt such a system, said the province's Environment Minister Terry Lake.

"I don't believe it puts cap and trade on hold," Lake told The Tyee on May 24. "I believe that they will appeal that ruling."

Judge Ernest Goldsmith ruled May 20 in the Superior Court of California that the state would have to delay its cap and trade plan until it analyzes alternative ways to meet its greenhouse gas reduction goals. The ruling was the result of a court challenge by an environmental group, Association for Irritated Residents.

California and British Columbia are scheduled to begin a carbon trading system in January 2012 as part of the Western Climate Initiative. The WCI is a group of states and provinces who joined to take action against climate change at a time when the federal governments of Canada and the United States were doing little about the problem.

"Certainly we are monitoring very closely what's going on in California and I plan to visit my colleagues down there in the near future to get an update and make sure that we are aligned with what's going on there in terms of our future plans," said Lake.

Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee’s Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. Reach him here.


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