Now, more than ever, California sees itself as a leader on combating climate change, and not

just in the United States, but the world. The latest push, eliminate the state's carbon footprint

altogether by 2045. Lawmakers are taking all sorts of steps to get to that ambitious goal,

from phasing out gas-powered engines

and new cars and lawnmowers to electrifying home stoves. But there's an even bigger plan ahead.

One that environmental experts say could derail it all.

I'm Gustavo Ariano. You're listening to The Times, Daily News from the LA Times.

It's Monday, July 11, 2022.

Today, pumping carbon gas into the ground?

It sounds like something out of a sci-fi novel, but that's exactly what California says is key to be able to make the state carbon neutral.

Can it work? Joining me to talk about this is our air quality reporter, Tony Briscoe.

Tony, welcome to the Times.

Hey, thanks for having me, Gustavo.

So recently, the Supreme Court issued a ruling that made it a lot harder for federal agencies like the EPA to do these big moves to tackle climate change.

What did the ruling say and what didn't it say?

This ruling has largely been seen as a blow to the federal government's ability to regulate greenhouse gases, these heat-trapping gases that are emitted by

power plants. And that's huge when it comes to looking at fossil fuel power plants, which still

dominate much of the United States, which contribute greenhouse gases to our environment

and contribute to global warming.

So if it took away the power from the federal government, what did it do for state government?

For state governments, I would say it had a minimal effect, but it kind of reemphasizes,

according to a lot of experts, the importance of states and deciding their own kind of

...