Schwarzenegger Discusses Climate Change

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - California's landmark effort to set a cap on greenhouse gas emissions is just one step in a long-term strategy by the nation's most populous state to combat global climate change, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said in an interview.

The governor said the state will push for further industrial reductions and initiatives such as placing greater emphasis on renewable energy and hydrogen-fueled cars.

Schwarzenegger said he hopes California's efforts will inspire other states and the federal government, which critics say has done little to curb the emissions scientists blame for warming the Earth.

"We are trying to bring other people in and inspire them and work with them," Schwarzenegger said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday. "We want to be in the forefront. California has always been known for that."

On Wednesday, the governor was scheduled to sign a bill in San Francisco imposing a first-in-the-nation emissions cap on utilities, refineries and manufacturing plants.

The move come two years after the state imposed tight regulations on automobile tailpipe emissions, an initiative that is being challenged in federal court by automakers.

Schwarzenegger's endorsement of the global warming issue has helped burnish his environmental credentials during a year in which he faces re-election against state treasurer Phil Angelides, the Democratic nominee who also has embraced the state cap.

A nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California poll released Tuesday had Schwarzenegger leading Angelides 48 percent to 31 percent. The poll, a telephone survey of 1,091 likely voters conducted Sept. 13-20, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Schwarzenegger, a bodybuilder-turned-actor before becoming governor, used a personal metaphor to frame the goal of cutting the state's emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.

The industrial emissions cap deal hammered out by Schwarzenegger and the state's legislative Democrats has been praised by environmentalists, but business leaders have warned that it will increase their costs and force them to scale back their California operations.

Schwarzenegger dismissed the criticism, citing a study by the University of California at Berkeley that estimates 89,000 jobs will be created as the state weans itself from fossil fuels.

"When you set goals, it makes other industries be innovative. They end up being innovative and creating new ways of solving problems, and that's what this is all about," Schwarzenegger said. "We feel very strongly we can do that and add jobs and make industries boom."

Many scientists believe greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide are trapping heat in the atmosphere, leading to a warming of the Earth. In turn, that threatens to alter weather patterns, shrink wildlife habitat and raise sea levels.

In California, state reports have predicted that warming could lead to earlier melting of the Sierra snowpack, flooding in the Central Valley and the San Francisco Bay area, and changes in growing seasons for the country's largest agricultural producer. Climate change also could threaten the state's water supply.

If re-elected, Schwarzenegger said he would seek legislation to protect the state's coastline in the face of rising ocean levels. He also wants to shore up the state's vulnerable drinking water supplies by building more reservoirs.

But California's global warming strategy already faces legal hurdles. Federal lawsuits related to greenhouse gas issues involving California, Vermont and Massachusetts could threaten California's ability to meet its goals.

Earlier this week, a federal judge in Fresno ruled that a coalition of automakers could pursue its lawsuit against the state for forcing them to cut tailpipe emissions.

Even so, Massachusetts and 11 other states, including California, continue to challenge the Bush administration's decision not to regulate heat-trapping carbon dioxide as a pollutant. The case is before the U.S. Supreme Court.

"That is the idea — to let enough states join the movement that eventually the federal government will say, 'I think we should also join here.' I have great hope for that," Schwarzenegger said.

"In fitness, the field I come from, it's all part of goals. You step on the scales and say, 'I weigh 220 pounds; I want to get my body weight down to 200. Here's the plan and how to do it, and I'm going to check every day if I get there,'" Schwarzenegger said. "That's what we're trying to do here with the emissions (of) greenhouse gases."

The industrial emissions cap deal hammered out by Schwarzenegger and the state's legislative Democrats has been praised by environmentalists, but business leaders have warned that it will increase their costs and force them to scale back their California operations.

Schwarzenegger dismissed the criticism, citing a study by the University of California at Berkeley that estimates 89,000 jobs will be created as the state weans itself from fossil fuels.

"When you set goals, it makes other industries be innovative. They end up being innovative and creating new ways of solving problems, and that's what this is all about," Schwarzenegger said. "We feel very strongly we can do that and add jobs and make industries boom."

Schwarzenegger dismissed the criticism, citing a study by the University of California at Berkeley that estimates 89,000 jobs will be created ...

A bogus study that failed to acknowledge the loss of business in traditional industries not to mention the job loss as other businesses flee to other states or countries (or go out of business) due to the increased cost and regulation doing business in California.

"We are trying to bring other people in and inspire them and work with them... We want to be in the forefront. California has always been known for that."

Being in the forefront of those slaughtered on the battleground, or first in line falling off a cliff, is not where most want to be.

For those who didn't catch it, this is a must read (very long):

Hot & Cold Media Spin: A Challenge To Journalists Who Cover Global Warming
U.S. Senate Comittee on Environment & Public Works ^ | Monday, September 25, 2006 | Senator James Inhofe
Posted on 09/26/2006 11:58:38 AM PDT by Reeses

Schwarzenegger signs sweeping global warming bill
By SAMANTHA YOUNG, | Wednesday, Sep 27 2006

http://www.bakersfield.com/119/story/75779.html

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday signed into law a sweeping global warming initiative that imposes the nation's first cap on greenhouse gas emissions, saying the effort kicks off "a bold new era of environmental protection."

Standing on picturesque Treasure Island with San Francisco's skyline in the background, Schwarzenegger called the fight against global warming one of the most important issues of modern times.

"We simply must do everything we can in our power to slow down global warming before it is too late," Schwarzenegger said during an address before signing the bill.

Mayor Gavin Newsom and New York Gov. George Pataki, as well as Democratic legislators, joined Schwarzenegger for the high-profile ceremony. British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who struck a deal with Schwarzenegger over the summer to develop clean technologies, joined the ceremony via video link.

Blair called the bill-signing "a proud day for political leadership" and "a historic day for the rest of the world, as well."

California's efforts on global warming have been in the spotlight since Schwarzenegger and the state's legislative Democrats reached an accord last month on the Democrat-authored bill to cut greenhouse gases.

The negotiations culminated in the last week of the legislative session, handing the Republican governor a key victory during an election year in which he has sought to portray himself as a friend to the environment.

On Wednesday, Schwarzenegger called the bill signing a historic occasion.

"It will begin a bold new era of environmental protection in California that will change the course of history," he said.

He expected other states, the federal government and even other nations to follow.

"I'm convinced of that ... because nothing is more important than protecting our planet," he said.

Schwarzenegger's Democratic opponent in the November election, state treasurer Phil Angelides, also supports the new law.

It imposes a first-in-the-nation emissions cap on utilities, refineries and manufacturing plants in a bid to curb the gases that scientists blame for warming the Earth. Two years ago, a state board adopted tight regulations on automobile tailpipe emissions, an initiative that is being challenged in federal court by automakers.

State reports have predicted the effects of global warming could be severe for the state, leading to earlier melting of the Sierra snowpack and threats to the state's water supply. It also could lead to changes in the growing season in the nation's No. 1 agricultural producer, even jeopardizing the Napa Valley wine industry.

Schwarzenegger also was expected to sign a second Democrat-sponsored global warming bill with consequences beyond the state's borders. That bill will prohibit California's large utilities and corporations from entering long-term power contracts with suppliers whose electricity sources do not meet the state's greenhouse gas emission standards.

The measure by Sen. President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, is intended to force coal plants in the western U.S. to install cleaner technologies.

California's efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions from industry and automobiles are part of a goal to reduce the state's emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, an estimated 25 percent reduction. California is the world's 12th largest producer of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide that are trapping heat in the Earth's atmosphere.

Schwarzenegger issued an executive order in 2005 calling for an even more ambitious reduction - cutting the levels of greenhouse gases to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.

In an interview Tuesday with The Associated Press, Schwarzenegger described the emissions-cap bill as one step in a long-term strategy by the nation's most populous state to combat global climate change. He said the state should further reduce industrial emissions and adopt initiatives such as placing greater emphasis on renewable energy and hydrogen-fueled cars.

The industrial emissions cap has been praised by environmentalists as a step toward fighting global climate change, but business leaders have warned that it will increase their costs and force them to scale back their California operations.

Industry officials say California lawmakers must ease other regulatory burdens to counter the higher costs they face with the tighter emissions standards.

An example could be eliminating the sales tax levied on new equipment, said Dorothy Rothrock, vice president of government relations for the California Manufacturers and Technology Association.

"If we do continue to discourage California manufacturing, emission will happen elsewhere without regulation, and we will not have achieved our goal of reducing emissions," she said.

Schwarzenegger said it is possible to protect the environment as well as the state's economy. He expects the law will lead to a new business sector in California devoted to developing the technologies industries can use to meet the tougher emission requirements.

"We can save our planet and boost our economy at the same time," the governor said.

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