Environmentalists have expressed strong criticism of the recent 2022 California Scoping Plan for Achieving Carbon Neutrality, particularly because of its reliance on carbon capture.
Laid out by the California Air Resources Board, the Scoping Plan envisions the use of carbon capture at refineries, which has long been critiqued by environmental advocates as a lifeline for the oil and gas industry.
Indeed, fossil fuel companies have been lobbying for carbon capture technology, for example, through the California Carbon Capture Coalition, which includes major industry players like Chevron and Aera Energy.
Separately, ExxonMobile spent roughly $4 million in the first half of 2022 to lobby for carbon capture and storage (CCS).
Relevant: New Legislation In California To Grow Carbon Removal Capacity
The California Director of Food & Water Watch, an environmental organization, Chirag G. Bhakta commented on the recent plan to reduce emissions by describing carbon capture as a ‘giveaway to the fossil fuel industry’ that in effect allows companies in this sector to keep on functioning as before.
Furthermore, Bhakta argued that the only real way to reduce the state’s carbon dioxide emissions is by cutting them at source and moving away from oil and gas altogether.
Read more: California Lawmakers Approve Historic Climate Measures
