Prop. 23 would scale back California climate laws

George Schultz is the champion

Jon Boyd, Sep 17, 10.

Former U.S. Secretary of State, George Schultz, and Texas-based energy giants, Tesoro and Valero have championed Proposition 23, the effort to rollback California’s regulation on greenhouse gases (GHG), the most extensive climate legislation in the country, according to an article in Politico:

California’s global warming law, which forces emissions across much of the economy to fall to 1990 levels by 2020, is the nation’s strongest and most sweeping policy to tackle global warming, absent federal policy. That, and the symbolism of reversing climate policy in a major liberal state, is why both sides of the Proposition 23 debate acknowledge the upcoming vote has larger implications.

“They fully intend to make California strike three after Copenhagen and Capitol Hill,” said Steven Maviglio, a spokesman for the No on 23 campaign.

Proposition 23 would block the state’s carbon dioxide limits until the unemployment rate drops to 5.5 percent or lower for four consecutive quarters. Unemployment currently is hovering at 12 percent and sponsors envision effectively killing the law, considering the rate has dropped below 5.5 percent for only three quarters since 1980.

Critics of California’s climate law spent about $4 million to get their measure on the ballot, and while public polls earlier this summer show Proposition 23 losing by about a dozen points, both sides say their internal polling has the race much closer. Turnout is expected to be high, as the climate question is one of 10 initiatives before voters this fall alongside the legalization of marijuana and competitive gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races.

“It’d be a huge signal that if this doesn’t fly in California, it really doesn’t fly anywhere,” said Phil Kerpen, director of policy at Americans for Prosperity, a conservative group pushing to kill state climate laws across the country.

Supporters of the law are using talking points similar to the ones plied by environmental activists in Washington: The state law will help reduce consumption of foreign oil and keep the state’s clean energy industries ahead of foreign competition. They’ve raised $8 million so far and enlisted former Secretary of State George Shultz — a Republican who served under Presidents Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon — to oppose the ballot initiative.

“AB 32 can be administered sensibly, so it’s not highly disruptive,” Shultz told POLITICO. “You’ve got to be able to think long term about our national security, about our economy and about our climate. This isn’t about tomorrow. This is about thinking ahead.

It’s like Nancy Reagan’s drug awareness campaign, Shultz added. “Just say no.”

However, not all business leaders are opposing California’s GHG regulations. T. Boone Pickens and Tom Donohue, CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, both appeared at a National Clean Energy Summit in Las Vegas, according to the Huffington Post:

“We’ve got to get certainty,” Donohue said. “People want to invest and make money. Tell us what the deal is, and let’s get on with it!” Every panelist agreed that certainty was the name of the game for businesses and business owners who are struggling in a most uncertain time of national recession. Investors want certainty as well, so they know what businesses and industries to pour their private capital into, and what kinds of prices they can expect in the medium and long-term.

Unfortunately, America is getting the opposite of certainty - even in places where issues related to climate and clean energy were thought long-settled.

Take California, for example. Leaders in both major parties joined forces and have already passed smart, bi-partisan rules to better control carbon pollution in the state. California’s Global Warming Solutions Act, also known as Assembly Bill 32, or “A.B. 32,” catalyzed billions of dollars in private sector investment in clean energy in the state—creating jobs, businesses, and new technologies. AB 32 sent a clear message to investors and businesses that clean energy will be the future economic engine for California.

It’s no accident that California leads the nation in solar power, as well as in clean energy venture capital. It is also no accident that California has “the largest clean energy economy of the 50 states” according to a 2009 Pew study. This leadership is a result of state policies providing financial incentives for clean energy development, renewable energy and energy efficiency standards - among others. By implementing far-sighted, predictable rules to support a clean energy transition, the golden state was able to attract clean tech investors and firms.

(Photo credit: coolcaesar)