Remember when Earth Day was like this huge thing. Every school would have a big event, and you would see signs. It was cute, but it usually just ended with a bunch of school kids cleaning up a beach or something.  You know, there’s that whole climate change thing going on, polar bears are being stranded on the ice and all that. Now you just get an email from Al Gore and a quick mention on the evening news.

Despite our budget mess, California is still taking a lead in fighting climate change.  As we celebrate (or not) Earth Day, the California Air Resources Board is actually doing something about it.

The California Air Resources Board is expected to approve on Thursday a far-reaching rule called the Low Carbon Fuel Standard, the biggest step yet in the state’s campaign to slash greenhouse gas emissions.

Starting in 2011, the standard would steadily lower the allowable “carbon intensity” of fuels, the amount of greenhouse gases released for every unit of energy produced. By 2020, fuel refiners and distributors within the state would have to cut the carbon intensity of their fuels by 10 percent.(SF Chronicle 4/22/09

We should be enormously proud of our role as an environmental leader.  During the budget negotiations, the Republicans tried desperately to shut down the implementation of AB 32, our landmark global warming emissions act.

These regulations are not everything they could be.  In reality, the only regulation that would really make a big change is a serious, full-on carbon tax.  Until that day, however, this is a darn good start, and a signal that California will not let the environment be a victim of a recession.