Free Republic

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that air quality regulators in California's smog-laden San Joaquin Valley have the right to charge home builders a fee to control their pollution emissions. A three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco upheld the local air district's rule requiring developers to reduce emissions from new housing projects by building features like bicycle lanes and energy-efficient cooling systems. If they don't do enough to preserve air quality, they must pay fees that have averaged about $500 per house. The valley, stretching 240 miles from Stockton...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger named an industry lobbyist Tuesday as his pick to be the state's top air pollution regulator, angering environmentalists and provoking a confirmation fight with Senate Democrats. Cindy Tuck, who serves as top attorney for the California Council for Environmental and Economic Balance - an advocacy group representing mostly energy companies and unions - is the governor's choice to become chair of the California Air Resources Board. The leader of the state Senate, which can reject the appointment, quickly announced his opposition. "As a lobbyist for major oil companies and the power plant industry, who...