Air Time, August 2009
Mary Nichols on statewide solutions to global issues
Mary Nichols is no stranger to innovation. As one of the nation’s first environmental attorneys, Nichols has spent her career protecting natural resources at the state and federal level. She also served as the California Air Resources Board Chairwoman from 1978 to 1983, and now she’s at it again. Nichols is tasked with implementing the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, California’s historic attempt to drastically reduce the greenhouse gases many scientists believe are the main cause of global climate change. That effort includes a highly controversial emissions cap-and-trade program that limits the emissions companies or governments can produce but also allows the most efficient companies to sell allowances they don’t use for a profit. We sat down with her to discuss some of the key aspects of this effort. [click title to continue reading]
