Executive Order B-55-18

Executive Order B-55-18
Name	Executive Order B-55-18
Type	Executive order
Issued by	Governor of California
Signed	2018
Status	Active

Executive Order B-55-18 is an executive order issued to direct state policy on greenhouse gas reduction and carbon neutrality goals. It established targets, timelines, and coordinating mechanisms aimed at achieving statewide carbon neutrality and net-negative greenhouse gas emissions, while setting interim targets for emissions and sequestration. The order coordinated multiple state agencies and programs to align transportation, energy, land use, and natural resource policies with statewide climate objectives.

Background and Purpose

Executive Order B-55-18 emerged amid heightened attention from policymakers associated with Paris Agreement, California Air Resources Board, Governor Jerry Brown, California Energy Commission, and advocacy groups like Sierra Club and Natural Resources Defense Council. It referenced prior actions including AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, and later related measures such as Senate Bill 32, positioning the order within a trajectory of California climate ambition. Contextual influences included international frameworks like the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and domestic initiatives such as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and state-level efforts modeled after California Environmental Quality Act-related planning. The purpose was to clarify the executive branch’s commitment to carbon neutrality and to instruct agencies to coordinate on strategies spanning California Department of Transportation, California Public Utilities Commission, and California Natural Resources Agency.

Provisions and Requirements

The order set explicit directives for achieving carbon neutrality by mid-century, aligning with scientific guidance from bodies like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and technical analyses produced by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. It required the development of a statewide plan that coupled emissions reductions in sectors overseen by California Air Resources Board, California Department of Food and Agriculture, California Energy Commission, and Department of Water Resources with enhanced carbon sequestration via programs managed by California Natural Resources Agency and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Key provisions included timelines for interim targets, mandates for sector-specific mitigation measures affecting California High-Speed Rail Authority planning and California ISO operations, and directives to incorporate natural and working lands strategies into accounting frameworks endorsed by USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service partnerships. The order also directed integration with procurement and state facilities policies, implicating entities such as California State Transportation Agency and State Water Resources Control Board.

Implementation and Agencies Involved

Implementation responsibilities were distributed across multiple state bodies including California Air Resources Board, California Energy Commission, California Natural Resources Agency, California Department of Transportation, California Public Utilities Commission, and California Department of Food and Agriculture. The order called for interagency coordination mechanisms similar to task forces seen in prior efforts like the California Climate Action Team and sought technical input from academic institutions including University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, and California State University system research centers. Partnerships extended to regional entities such as Bay Area Air Quality Management District and federal collaborations with agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency and USDA Forest Service for implementation of landscape-scale sequestration. Financial and programmatic implementation leveraged instruments similar to those administered by California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank and funding programs related to Cap-and-Trade Program administration overseen by California Air Resources Board.

Legal and Regulatory Context

The executive order operated within a statutory landscape that included AB 32, Senate Bill 32, and regulatory authorities vested in California Air Resources Board and California Public Utilities Commission. It relied on existing legal mechanisms for emissions regulation, procurement authority, and land management while prompting rulemaking and planning processes under statutes such as California Environmental Quality Act and statutes governing state natural resources. The order’s directives interacted with case law related to administrative authority in California and federal-state relationships exemplified by disputes involving Environmental Protection Agency oversight. Legal analyses drew comparisons to other jurisdictions’ orders and statutes, including legislative frameworks in New York (state) and Washington (state), and international commitments under Paris Agreement signaling compatibility with multilevel governance principles.

Impact and Outcomes

The order catalyzed planning and policy shifts that influenced subsequent state plans, including strategic documents produced by California Air Resources Board and implementation roadmaps from California Natural Resources Agency and California Energy Commission. Outcomes included expanded natural and working lands programs, enhanced integration of sequestration into state accounting protocols, and adjustments to procurement and state facility policies to reduce lifecycle emissions for projects overseen by California State Transportation Agency and Department of General Services. The order contributed to sectoral initiatives touching California High-Speed Rail Authority corridor planning, utility-scale renewables procurement through California Public Utilities Commission, and agricultural conservation programs affecting California Department of Food and Agriculture participation in carbon farming pilots. Measurable impacts are traced in state inventory updates and technical reports published by California Air Resources Board and independent research centers such as Energy and Resources Group (ERG).

Reception and Criticism

Reception among environmental organizations including Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, and academic researchers at University of California, Davis was generally positive, praising ambition and cross-agency coordination. Industry groups and stakeholders in sectors like California Farm Bureau Federation, California Building Industry Association, and some utilities voiced concerns about costs, regulatory certainty, and implementation timelines. Critics emphasized the need for legislative backing via bodies such as the California State Legislature and raised questions about reliance on sequestration credits and accounting methodologies referenced by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change guidance. Legal commentators compared the order’s executive scope to precedents involving Governor Jerry Brown and discussed potential challenges in courts and administrative rulemaking processes.

Category:California executive orders