Free Republic

. The author of California’s landmark law to curb greenhouse gas emissions has launched a two-year effort to expand the law’s reach into other operations, including logging, and shape the market place governing potentially billions of dollars worth of emissions credits. As the Legislature turns its focus from the state budget to legislation, dozens of ambitious new environmental proposals are emerging. But a bill by Sen. Fran Pavley, D-Agoura Hills, could be among the biggest pieces of environmental legislation this year. Pavley is best known as the author of AB 32, California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006. Pavley, who...

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California sued six of the world's largest automakers over global warming on Wednesday, charging that greenhouse gases from their vehicles have caused billions of dollars in damages. The lawsuit is the first of its kind to seek to hold manufacturers liable for the damages caused by their vehicles' emissions, state Attorney General Bill Lockyer said. It also comes less than a month after California lawmakers adopted the nation's first global warming law mandating a cut in greenhouse gas emissions. An automaker trade group called the global warming move a "nuisance suit." Car manufacturers have also held...

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California filed suit against Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F - News), General Motors Corp. (NYSE:GM - News), Toyota Motor Corp. (Tokyo:7203.T - News) and three other carmakers on Wednesday, charging that greenhouse gases from their vehicles have cost the state millions of dollars.

California Portland Cement Co. had planned to build more plants this year but put its expansion on hold as it awaits a decision by state lawmakers that the company says could force it to cut production. Cement manufacturers represent just one of several industries that would be required to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases they emit under a bill that would make California the first state in the nation to impose such regulations on businesses. The bill has set off a sharp debate in California over the need to balance environmental goals with the concerns of businesses that say...

Maybe it's the summer heat, or Al Gore's documentary. Whatever the cause, California environmentalists and Democratic lawmakers have embarked on an ambitious campaign to catapult the state ahead of the nation on a number of green initiatives. From greenhouse-gas caps to alternative energy, they say it's time to make significant changes after watching a number of clean-water and air-quality bills vetoed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in recent years. They say the looming election should also help motivate politicians to think green. (snip) At the center of the debate is AB 32, which would require industries to report how much greenhouse...

A wise investor puts her money in investments that offer the highest returns at the lowest cost. A poor investor puts his money in investments that offer low returns at a higher cost. I don't know what you'd call an investor who puts lots of money into "investments" that offer no benefits, but "Schwarzenegger" might be a good label. The Governor's pledge to lower greenhouse gas emissions in California to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050 will bring Californians little or no environmental benefit, while costing the citizenry a substantial amount of money. The Governor has long pandered to...

SACRAMENTO – In Michigan, where automakers still reign, the Rev. Charles Morris cites Scripture and California policy as he campaigns for curbs on tailpipe and smokestack emissions linked to disruptions in global weather patterns that can threaten water, power and food supplies. “California is the leader of the pack,” says the Catholic priest who tends a parish in Wyandotte, just outside Dearborn. “They put in emission reductions. They put in reformulated gas,” Morris said. “The sky didn't fall. The sun still shines. It belies the myths put out there.” Religious leaders such as Morris – joining a growing number of...

A bill would limit releases of greenhouse gas to combat global warming. Governor's team has other ideas. The bill, backed by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez (D-Los Angeles) and an array of environmental groups, would set firm limits on the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas released by factories, power plants and refineries. The measure is more stringent than a series of recommendations released Monday by Schwarzenegger's Climate Action Team. Some businesses, particularly heavy polluters such as cement makers and refineries, say they oppose mandatory reporting and caps because they would put an unfair economic burden on California companies....

SACRAMENTO--Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez introduced legislation Monday to limit greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, oil refineries and other industrial sources, a step he said would lead the nation in combating global warming while spurring the state's economy. "(The bill) sends a loud and clear message to ... innovators and entrepreneurs here and abroad to develop and bring clean technologies into the California marketplace," the Los Angeles Democrat said. Nunez announced the legislation on the same day Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration released a report calling for development of economic incentives that could include emission caps to cut greenhouse gases, chiefly...

I need some help on legislative history. I'm confused about the sequence and provisions of the two (?) bills authored by Fran Pavley. The first bill (AB 1058?) had draconian measures like 2 cents per mile tax, hike in gas fees, and giant fees for buying SUVs. The second (AB 1493?) removed the onerous and coercive measures and replaced it with a cart blanche for the unelected AQMD to do whatever it wants to to reduce "greenhouse gases." Can a freeper help me here?...thanks. --Boris