Free Republic

Thus far, California’s landmark law to cut greenhouse gases from its factories and businesses—a law that has given Gov. Schwarzenegger an international image of environmental activist—has been mostly talk and little action. Rules covering perhaps 60 percent of the reductions needed to meet the targets are already in place or soon will be, the result of other laws, covering such things as renewable energy standards, energy efficiency, clean-car rules, low-carbon fuel standards and others. One key component, to cut greenhouse gases from car tailpipes, is stalled pending a federal waiver, although that permission is all but certain after President Bush...

As he considered running for governor last summer, it was clear in conversations with me that Arnold Schwarzenegger was motivated at least in part by the drama of parachuting into the midst of the state's crisis and not only bringing order from chaos but also moving California forward on a great new agenda. What exactly that agenda might be was a little unclear, not surprisingly, since he had been focused last year on the global launch of one of the biggest action movies in history and had been intending to run in 2006, not 2003. His quickly cobbled together campaign...