Posted on 04/23/2007 7:53:19 PM PDT by Lorianne
The state attorney general sued San Bernardino County this week, alleging the county should have looked at global warming before adopting its new growth plan. "This is the most significant issue facing the county and the world," Attorney General Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown Jr. said Friday by telephone.
It's the first suit of its kind to be filed by the state.
The state's lawsuit comes a couple of days after environmental groups sued the county on similar grounds, alleging the county's new general plan should have discussed ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Officials defend the plan, saying it follows the law and provides for sensible growth.
It's not fair to impose complex and undefined new requirements on a plan that has been in the works for years, said David Wert, county spokesman.
The state's groundbreaking law on global warming, Assembly Bill 32, wasn't signed by the governor until last September, when the general plan was in the home stretch before its final adoption last month.
"There are no state guidelines on how to address global warming in the planning process," Wert said.
Global warming wasn't raised as an issue when the county started the environmental review for the plan in October 2005, Wert said, though there were formal comments submitted by the state and others before the final plan was ratified. The general plan is the overarching vision of where houses, businesses and open space will be over the next 25 years.
The state's global warming law calls for greenhouse gas emissions to be cut to 1990 levels by 2020.
That means the county's planning document will still be in effect long after the first deadline for dramatic reductions in emissions, Brown said.
"There's more development in San Bernardino County than any place, and that development should take place with climate in mind," he said.
The state's main environmental law requires that any environmental impacts be examined. The law doesn't need to be changed to require a look at greenhouse gases because it's clear they will have an impact, said.
Marin County, for example, is developing a new general plan that includes extensive requirements to reduce greenhouse emissions, said Alex Hinds, director of the Marin County Community Development Agency.
Global warming has quickly emerged as the newest issue in environmental law, and the Inland Empire is the first testing ground.
Suits that cite global warming as a reason to stop or change development plans have been filed against projects in Banning and Desert Hot Springs in Riverside County, against the sludge composting facility proposed west of Hinkley, and now two suits against San Bernardino County's general plan.
The other general plan suit was filed by the Center for Biological Diversity, the Sierra Club and the San Bernardino Valley Audubon Society.
That suit argues that global warming and drought have already made the wildfire danger more severe, and that the plan should limit growth near forested areas.
"It's really a failure to protect the health, safety and welfare of residents," said Brendan Cummings, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity.
Wert counters that the general plan was drafted and adopted after numerous public meetings and with input from all the communities, including those in the forest.
"This reflects what people want in their general plan," he said.
Brown Contact writer Andrew Silva at (909) 386-3889 or via e-mail at andrew.silva@sbsun.com.
Ever been to a third world country where the beggers come up to the tourists and look at you as if you have to pay them, you owe them.
Well, the Global Warming Spam is the global way of doing just that. The third world and nations that hate America will always swear there is Global Warming even when they know it does not exist. They think America owes the world and this is their way of getting it.
There goes the “Lord of the Flies” showing off his gullibility. IT’S THE SUN, YOU MORON!!
Or you could have said... "You are the son of a moron!" Both work just fine.
Unbelievable. Maybe California should sue itself for not evacuating the coastal cities. After all, global warming is going to swamp the entire coastline.
This lawsuit mandating that they retroactively comply with the current Cause Of The Month is right out of 1984.
Too bad the County isn’t in the food business as well, the deep-pockets vultures could beat them up for last month’s Cause, trans-fat transgressions, as well.
Governor “Moonbeam” is now Attorney General “Moonbeam”, I see, but his title hasn’t changed him much, it seems.
Don’t these people have anything better to do? How about rounding up fugitive criminals, deporting illegal aliens, and all that stuff, Mr. Attorney General?!
This is simply staggering idiocy. A state government suing a county government for retroactive application of a new law. And topping it off, declaring “It’s really a failure to protect the health, safety and welfare of residents” — it is totally impossible to link the emissions of CO2 by a county to the health, safety and welfare of residents. It is a fact, howver, that the emissions of CO2 have led directly to the highest standard of living, the greatest abundence of food, and the longest life span in the entire history of mankind.
These people need to be shot.
The county finds that global warming being of great benefit to the citizens of the county, in that it prevents the county from being buried under two mile high glaciers, we hereby declare April 22nd to be "Global Warming Day!", a day of celebration of global warming.
Maybe San Bernardino County can cede kalifornia and join Arizona.
vomitocious
Do Moonbeams cause global warming?
Oh, happy day. The Lord of the Medflies is at it again. He’s a looney tune from way back.
Thank you Comrade Moonbeam; it will be an honor to finance this latest idiocy straight from my paycheck. For the good of the environment.
/gagging on my home state’s environment of suicidal socialism
San Bernardino County is Senator Boxer’s (CA-D) stomping grounds.
Would come of no surprise if Babs had hatchman Brown go after her own county.
Babs could care less about illegal immigrants and gangs in the county she represents however she does exhibit great concern over melting ice caps in the northern most parts of the hemisphere./sarc
Global warming is nothing but a religion, either you believe in it or not.
Look where America is now=in the toilet.
Global warming is nothing but a religion, either you believe in it or not.
Look where America is now=in the toilet.
I remember “medfly” Brown.....dated a lesbian from Malibu....honest to God, you can’t make this tripe up : )
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