REALLY, MEG? Suspending Climate-Change Legislation AB32 is Backwards Thinking

September 24th, 2009 by Gavin Newsom

Meg Whitman penned an op-ed last week stating she’d suspend California’s landmark climate-change legislation, AB32, on her first day if elected governor. This is backwards thinking, and I disagree.

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Experts estimate that the four largest clean-energy industries (solar, wind, biofuels, and fuel-cell) will have combined annual revenues of $255 billion by the middle of the next decade. The question isn’t whether the world will move towards cleaner living – the question is how soon this trend will take hold.

There is no better, more fertile place in the United States for green technology and green-collar jobs to take shape than California.

California’s challenge is competitiveness, grasping as much of the share of these markets as possible by being the industry leader in greenhouse gas abatement technology. To date, we’ve done a great job – California captured $6.6 billion in green capital between 2006-2008. And all these start-ups need workers; so green jobs have the potential to be for California what the defense industry was in 1980s.

According to the Pew Charitable Trust, between 1997 and 2007, “clean energy spurred the opening of 10,209 businesses with 125,390 jobs in California.”

That’s 125,000 people working on protecting our environment and earning family-sustaining wages at the same time. And all these new jobs came about before AB32 really kicked in! The potential employment upside to AB32 is staggering. Growth in green-collar jobs outpaced overall job growth nationwide by 250 percent – astounding.

Clearly, being on the cutting edge of innovation is a net positive for California’s economy, not a negative. As we mark the three-year anniversary of AB32’s signing today, we should acknowledge that its oft-vilified targets are not only achievable but also actually good for California’s economy. The Governor’s own Climate Action Team reported back in 2006 that AB32 would provide “billions of dollars in savings for businesses and residents, and tens of thousands of new jobs by 2020.” It’s both affordable and plausible.

We’re proving as much in San Francisco. Our Local-Global Climate Action Plan sets the ambitious target of reducing our greenhouse gas levels 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2012. Well, we’ve already achieved a 5 percent reduction below 1990 levels, and we’ve still got a few more years to get all the way to 20 percent… (continues on page 2:)

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Tags: AB32, California, Gavin Newsom, Meg Whitman

About the Author

Gavin Newsom was the youngest San Francisco mayor in over a century when he was elected at the age of 41. Newsom, the son of William and Tessa Newsom, grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. He attended Santa Clara University on a partial baseball scholarship, graduating in 1989 with a B.A. in political science. After only 36 days as mayor, Newsom gained worldwide attention when he granted marriage licenses to same-sex couples. This bold move set the tone for Newsom’s first term. Under his energetic leadership, the economy grew and jobs were created. The city became a center for biotech and clean tech. He initiated a plan to bring universal health care to all of the city’s uninsured residents. And Newsom aggressively pursued local solutions to global climate change. In 2007, Newsom was re-elected with over 73% of the vote. Since then he has built upon the successes of his first term, launching new environmental initiatives and a comprehensive strategy to transform one of the city’s most troubled neighborhoods into a life sciences, digital media, and clean tech center.

Charlie Peters

Clean Air Performance Professionals

Friday, January 29, 2010

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

State Capitol Building

Sacramento, CA 95814

Phone: 916-445-2841

Fax: 916-558-3160 ( new number )

C/o Lisa

RE: Sierra Research Report SR 2007-04-01

Dear Mr. Governor

California Air Resources Board (CARB) and The Department of Consumer Affairs/ Bureau of Automotive Repair DCA/BAR have contracted with Sierra Research for a Report of Smog Check performance.

Sierra has informed me the report was final in March 2009 and released to CARB.

CARB, BAR, IMRC, and the California Legislature are using the Report for public policy but refusing to release the publicly funded Report.

Mr. Governor, I’m confused, can you refer me to someone who might help?

Cc to interested parties

From: Charlie Peters

Clean Air Performance Professionals

cappcharlie@earthlink.net

(510) 537-1796 – fax: (510) 537-9675
Charlie Peters

Clean Air Performance Professionals

Friday, January 29, 2010

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

State Capitol Building

Sacramento, CA 95814

Phone: 916-445-2841

Fax: 916-558-3160 ( new number )

C/o Lisa

RE: Sierra Research Report SR 2007-04-01

Dear Mr. Governor

California Air Resources Board (CARB) and The Department of Consumer Affairs/ Bureau of Automotive Repair DCA/BAR have contracted with Sierra Research for a Report of Smog Check performance.

Sierra has informed me the report was final in March 2009 and released to CARB.

CARB, BAR, IMRC, and the California Legislature are using the Report for public policy but refusing to release the publicly funded Report.

Mr. Governor, I’m confused, can you refer me to someone who might help?

Cc to interested parties

From: Charlie Peters

Clean Air Performance Professionals

cappcharlie@earthlink.net

(510) 537-1796 – fax: (510) 537-9675
Cat B

For those who want to argue the science or politics of global warming – is it real or not? – I ask you to think instead of the bacteria in the petri dish. Whether or not “global warming” is happening, we still have an absolute “sustainability” issue: Western civilization uses resources at a rate that it’d take NINE planet earths to sustain. Yet, we have only this one. (Google “nine planets” to learn more). I personally chose to focus on this fact – it transcends all politics and competing theories. We bacteria can argue forever, and do nothing, but we will eventually over-grow our petri dish. And that’s it – when the food’s gone, its gone; when the trees are gone, they’er gone. It’ll happen regardless of who’s in office, what party controls what resource, what the planet’s temperature is…none of that’ll matter in the end. And, no, it won’t happen next year or even, maybe, next century. But it WILL happen, as inevitably as the bacteria multiplying in the petri dish – unless we change how we operate on a number of levels…. It really is that simple. We can start doing something now, or we can leave it to future generations. It seems that there are plenty of people in each camp – only time will tell.
Cat B

For those who want to argue the science or politics of global warming – is it real or not? – I ask you to think instead of the bacteria in the petri dish. Whether or not “global warming” is happening, we still have an absolute “sustainability” issue: Western civilization uses resources at a rate that it’d take NINE planet earths to sustain. Yet, we have only this one. (Google “nine planets” to learn more). I personally chose to focus on this fact – it transcends all politics and competing theories. We bacteria can argue forever, and do nothing, but we will eventually over-grow our petri dish. And that’s it – when the food’s gone, its gone; when the trees are gone, they’er gone. It’ll happen regardless of who’s in office, what party controls what resource, what the planet’s temperature is…none of that’ll matter in the end. And, no, it won’t happen next year or even, maybe, next century. But it WILL happen, as inevitably as the bacteria multiplying in the petri dish – unless we change how we operate on a number of levels…. It really is that simple. We can start doing something now, or we can leave it to future generations. It seems that there are plenty of people in each camp – only time will tell.
Sam

Climate has changed in California. Jobs and growth are severly needed. Anything that keeps prosperity and growth out of california should be reconsidered. We work so hard to be green when the majority of the world is in development and spewing pollution, while we think what we do here could really make a difference!
Sam

Climate has changed in California. Jobs and growth are severly needed. Anything that keeps prosperity and growth out of california should be reconsidered. We work so hard to be green when the majority of the world is in development and spewing pollution, while we think what we do here could really make a difference!
Arnold Samardich

This bill is a farce. California has no effect on global warming. Read the science.
Arnold Samardich

This bill is a farce. California has no effect on global warming. Read the science.
Tom

What Climate change are you guys talking about? The one that’s been changed from Global warming? Hmm, how many more months do we have until the big catastrophe? Get a life !! Al Gore did a number on too many of you. The earth has been slowly cooling for the last 10 years. The climate has been changing for billions of years. All this Global warming climate change whatever they call it is just the way for politicians to grab more power and control over the sheeple, don’t you guys see it? It’s all about money, more taxes… They don’t care about science, but who cares. Their GREEN is just NEW RED !!! Do your own research and study more about what’s going on, don’t just blindly listen to these nutjobs.
Tom

What Climate change are you guys talking about? The one that’s been changed from Global warming? Hmm, how many more months do we have until the big catastrophe? Get a life !! Al Gore did a number on too many of you. The earth has been slowly cooling for the last 10 years. The climate has been changing for billions of years. All this Global warming climate change whatever they call it is just the way for politicians to grab more power and control over the sheeple, don’t you guys see it? It’s all about money, more taxes… They don’t care about science, but who cares. Their GREEN is just NEW RED !!! Do your own research and study more about what’s going on, don’t just blindly listen to these nutjobs.
http://www.princetoncryo.com nancy @ princetoncryo

Climate change is effecting every country. Is there

anything we can do at our level to control it? While at high school, I signed a campaign to “Go Green, Promote Green” but nothing big ever happened. This is one cause we all would certainly like to get involved into if only we know how?
http://www.princetoncryo.com nancy @ princetoncryo

Climate change is effecting every country. Is there

anything we can do at our level to control it? While at high school, I signed a campaign to “Go Green, Promote Green” but nothing big ever happened. This is one cause we all would certainly like to get involved into if only we know how?
Ben

I am confused about Meg Whitmans role here. The article needs more information on her role.
Ben

I am confused about Meg Whitmans role here. The article needs more information on her role.
Frank

I’m personally terrified of Meg Whitman. All my conservative friends love her but no nothing about her history.
Frank

I’m personally terrified of Meg Whitman. All my conservative friends love her but no nothing about her history.