The California Air Resources Board says it began selling pollution "allowances" for the first time Wednesday as planned, in a closed, online auction.
The board says the results of the auction - what price was paid for a ton of carbon, and how many companies participated - will be released Nov. 19.
The cap-and-trade plan is a central piece of the state's 2006 global warming law, AB32, a suite of regulations meant to dramatically reduce the state's emissions of heat-trapping gases.
The auction occurred despite a last-minute lawsuit from the California Chamber of Commerce, which has argued the program should be invalidated as an illegal tax.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)