California greenhouse gas emitters may be granted a reprieve.  The Executive Director of the California Air Resources Board (CARB), Mary Nichols, testified before the California Senate Select Committee on the Environment, the Economy, and Climate Change yesterday that CARB is proposing to delay requirements for compliance with the state cap-and-trade program for a year.  Nichols stated that CARB is moving forward within the timeline of A.B. 32 and cap-and-trade is on track to begin in 2012, but requirements for compliance would possibly not start until January 1, 2013.  CARB’s proposal to delay full implementation of cap-and-trade comes despite the agency’s recent efforts to finalize the program this year.  Several weeks ago, CARB released a revised analysis of alternatives to cap-and-trade to comply with a court order in Association of Irritated Residents v. CARB to remedy deficiencies in CARB’s environmental review of the A.B. 32 Scoping Plan.  The Court of Appeals also ruled last Friday that CARB could continue implementation of the cap-and-trade program pending appeals in AIR v. CARB.  CARB will consider adoption of the new alternatives analysis on August 24.  The alternatives supplement is open for public comment until July 28.  Nichols also stated that in the next few weeks, CARB will hold a public workshop on its proposal and other elements needed to finalize the cap-and-trade regulation.