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http://www.mercurynews.com/politics/ci_6296292
Governor’s pick for air board lauded
ENVIRONMENTALISTS LOOKING FOR ACTION ON EMISSIONS LAW
SACRAMENTO - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday named a staunch environmentalist with deep Democratic ties to take the helm of the state’s air quality enforcement agency, perhaps dulling criticism that he was stalling implementation of California’s landmark global warming legislation as a way to appease the business community.
His selection of environmental lawyer Mary Nichols, a former appointee of two former Democratic governors and President Clinton, won wide praise from business and environmental groups alike for her even-handed approach to air quality.
Schwarzenegger called Nichols a “real powerhouse” player in the environmental movement who will bring credibility to his plan to reduce emissions through a mixture of air quality standards and market-based incentives.
Nichols served as the secretary of the California Resources Agency from 1999 to 2003 under Gov. Gray Davis. Before that, she served as assistant administrator for air and radiation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under Clinton.
As an environmental lawyer for the Center for Law in the Public Interest, she initiated some of the first test cases under the federal Clean Air Act and the state’s air quality laws. She worked as a senior staff attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council and headed the Environment Now Foundation.
Ann Notthoff, the California advocacy director for the Natural Resources Defense Council, called her an “enforcer and advocate for a healthy environment and public health” who knows the Air Resources Board well and “is committed to its science-based independence. It would be hard to find a stronger chair of the board.”
Schwarzenegger has stated he wants AB 32 to feature a cap-and-trade policy in which companies that don’t meet air quality standards are able to purchase permits from those who do. Democrats say the law requires the state to take “early action” measures before cap-and-trade options are offered to businesses.
Arnold is a “big picture guy.” He has a sharp nose for corruption posing as goodness
He’s looking to the carbon credit trading fraud scheme, not shutting down clunky machinery.
It’s about the carbon credit trading...