Posted on 04/11/2007 7:27:16 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON -- Greenbacks and a greener world brought Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger back East this week, as he combines campaign fundraising with high-profile pitches for environmental protection. Schwarzenegger is boosting his national profile by urging stronger action to combat global warming.
In meetings with politicians, academics and the U.S. foreign policy elite, Schwarzenegger invokes California as the nation's environmental model.
"In California, we are doing everything we can to tip the balance in favor of the environment," Schwarzenegger said Wednesday afternoon at Georgetown University. "California is big. California is powerful, and what we do in California has an impact. We are sending the world a message."
Schwarzenegger's urged federal policymakers and Detroit automakers to take more aggressive action.
"What I'm saying to Michigan is, 'Michigan, get off your butt and join us,'" Schwarzenegger told the enthusiastic crowd.
It's the theme of the week, both globally and parochially. Substantively, Schwarzenegger privately urged Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson this week to grant California a waiver needed to regulate greenhouse gases from cars and trucks. The governor invited Johnson to visit the state during an upcoming 90-day comment period.
Rhetorically, Schwarzenegger is beefing up his environmental credentials. Schwarzenegger and Intel Corp. Chairman Craig Barrett delivered keynote speeches Wednesday at Georgetown's Newsweek Conference on Environmental Leadership. Not coincidentally, Newsweek magazine's 3.1 million subscribers saw a smiling Schwarzenegger holding up the Earth on the cover this week. Intel was the other corporate sponsor of the daylong program.
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
If Arnie cared as much about our state’s miserable education performance, confiscatory taxation, runaway illegal alien invasion, welfare fraud and waste (much from illegals), business incentives to grow jobs, reduced state spending....as he does about handwaving, emotional liberal green crap, California would be one hell of a model state as it was 30 years ago before liberalism destroyed it.
Michigan says “Hey RINO, bite me!”
Michigan ought say, “Ok, Arnie, show us how. You are an engineer, aren’t you, and not just an actor and body building champion, right?”
Maybe he’ll be willing to send us the billions of dollars to refit the entire auto industry to produce the green cars he wants. While he’s at it he can send us the billions of dollars to reform the infrastructure needed to deal with the new green industry. And lets not forget the consumers. We’ll need to subsidize car buyers so we can actually afford to drive these new green autos. While I’m at it, I suppose the gas stations will also need a few bucks to pump ethanol and hydrogen etc.
Oh, they can make “green” autos. tiny economy cars with 1.0 liter engines. they can make them. but to get people to buy them, you have to subsidize them - and tax the hell out of any car that doesn’t “fit” that model.
the only solution to reducing the gasoline consumption for auto transportation - are plug in hybrids. But the battery technology is still not there to make them viable.
and if it were - the electric grid would have to expand enormously to support that fleet. and the enviros are against nuclear power too.
Oh man, and I voted for this idiot!
California is just Michigan’s bigger, prettier younger sister....however grandma status for the liberal state of Ca. is on the way.... California....meet your destiny that is Michigan.... Liberalism is a rotten mold run amok...
What are you doing here posting? You should be working your second or thrird job to pay for all this stuff for us. We can’t afford it because we already have a 7% unemployment rate. 8% in my county. LOL
Not to mention the mountains of fuel cells that will eventually wind up in landfills. The enviros are already freakin’ about simple NiCad battery disposal. AA and AAA’s have warnings on them. Bring on the electric cars. The environmental disaster that would result will make them beg for the combustion engine.
Arnie will soon ban all cars from being sold in Cali unless they rate at 40MPG or over. That’ll fix it.
Arnold has turn in to everthing I feared...
The auto makers should just stop selling cars in CA.
The people would soon change the law...:^)
he won’t “ban” them, he’ll just tax them so that the middle class is forced out of buying full size cars, vans, SUVs, etc.
the used car market in CA will grown enormously. people who need full size vehicles will buy used ones.
It’s amazing how green things can get when taxed. Pollution is only bad when it’s free. When it’s taxed, it’s just fine and dandy!
We’re obvously not to the point where a large vehicle such as an SUV can be made satisfactorily green.
I do believe there is a nitch market that is not being tapped though, and that would be an around town electric that could fulfill short hops to the market or shopping. The range could easily be 50 miles or less and still be very useful.
There are also some great hybrids out there now that are fairly nice. I picked up a Mercury Mariner and am very happy with it.
I’m getting right at 30 mpg on the commute and that’s fairly nice with gas being what it is these days.
I don’t have to plug in. The batteries recharge as you drive. It’s a four cylinder with battery assist. It obviuosly doesn’t act like a V8, but it does feel about like a V6.
It’s a great vehicle.
While I do think Schwarzenegger is a putz on this and other subjects, I do think there is a market out there with profit potential that is basicly being ignored.
For all intents what you describe is basically, “Welcome to Cuba’s automotive model.” I agree.
Schwarzi may have made a lot of money in his lifetime, but as a governor he’s a ‘b’ actor.
those photos of him as a happy young man frolicking are really coming in handy I guess....
the limited range electrics won’t sell beyond a tiny niche. even people who don’t typically exceed the daily recharge miles, are fearful that they might need to, and can’t.
the plug in hybrids are the future. GM has an excellent prototype. Runs all electric, has a 1L turbodiesel that drives a generator to recharge the battery when it drops to 30% capacity. the only problem now - the LiON battery technology is not there yet to provide the target plug in full charge range of 40 miles. When it is, it will revolutionize gasoline usage. Most people will typically NEVER buy fuel, except for their occasional longer trips.
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