Free Republic

Negotiations are intensifying between the Legislature and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger over an ambitious plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in California. Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez said he expects to introduce amendments next week on Assembly Bill 32 -- which would make California the first state to impose pollution caps on industries to combat global warming. The Democratic leader said in an interview that he intends to address governance and enforcement concerns of environmentalists, business groups and the Schwarzenegger administration to pass the bill by the Aug. 31 close of the legislative session. "This bill is going to be on the...

Hatred of the U.S. is palpable among the various state and NGO delegations. While such hatred is prevalent in all U.N. meetings, it seems to be especially acrimonious at the World Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa. Most of the acrimony centers on perceived trade barriers, subsidies (especially farm subsidies) and the rejection of the Kyoto Protocol by the U.S. As the heads of state and government gather in Johannesburg, the summit was deadlocked late Friday, over 14 issues in a 70-page "Plan of Implementation," pitting the developed nations against the developing nations, and the United States against the European...

POLE POSITION: Gary Hererra, a "pond jumper" at Pacific Lumber Co.'s mill in Scotia, pushes logs through a water canal in this photo from 1999. A judge has ordered the company to temporarily halt its logging operation. Without a court-ordered stay, Judge John Golden said logging that could hurt timberlands and wildlife would continue. August 31, 2002 — 2:13 a.m. SACRAMENTO (AP) — Environmental groups on Friday hailed a Humboldt County Superior Court judge's unexpected ruling ordering a temporary halt to logging by Pacific Lumber Co. The company, however, believes the order will have no immediate impact, particularly if...