California’s climate reporting rules delayed

CARB to push back deadline by three months

California Air Resources Board (CARB) has announced a last-minute delay to its climate disclosure rules.  

Its Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act, known as SB 253, currently requires the largest companies doing business in California to report their greenhouse gas emissions. 

The law would initially apply to firms with annual revenues above $1bn, who have until August 10th to disclose their Scope 1 and 2 emissions.  

Those same entities would have to start reporting their Scope 3 emissions from 2027, under the current rules. 

But CARB said on Wednesday that it had withdrawn its pending regulatory proposal, and will swap it for one that pushes the August deadline back by three months, to November 10th. 

The decision is understood to be an acknowledgement that the final version of the regulation may not be signed off in time, because CARB plans to make tweaks to it, which it will also reveal in the updated proposal. 

A 15-day consultation period is expected in due course.