California Progress Report. Saying that "Senate Democrats believe there is a simple, direct, cost effective path we can take now to reduce greenhouse gases," Senate President pro Tem Don Perata announced yesterday the introduction of a sweeping eight-bill package that aims to improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in California in the most practical ways.
By Frank D. Russo
Perata complained that: "The implementation of Assembly Bill 32 is getting bogged down in arcane discussions over intercontinental trading schemes, 'carbon markets' and free 'credits'. That may work for Wall Street traders and Enron economists, but it doesn't work for Californians."
Democrats are clearly not content with the pace of the Schwarzenegger Administration's actions and alarmed at the news since last August of a massive and rapidly worsening global warming problem.
Among the proposals:
• That 50 percent of new passenger vehicles sold in California are certified to run on clean alternative fuels by 2020
• Reducing the carbon content from transportation fuels refined and sold in California by
• More rapidly upping bio-diesel fuel targets
• More transportation planning and infill development to reduce consumption of fuel.
Perata, a force in his own right, made the announcement with key Senators who are authoring bills in the package, including Christine Kehoe, Chair of the Senate Energy Committee; Joe Simitian, Chair of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee; Darrell Steinberg, Chair of the Senate Natural Resources Committee; and Senator Alan Lowenthal, Chair of the Budget Subcommittee on Resources and also Chair of the Transportation and Housing Committee.
Senator Kehoe said: “Last year's AB 32 made everyone aware of the need to aggressively reduce California's contributions to environmental damage caused by greenhouse gas emissions. With the transportation sector currently accounting for 41 percent of the state's greenhouse gas emissions, it is essential that we adopt a comprehensive package to both reduce these transportation related emissions while at the same time promoting the broader use of clean-burning alternative fuels. My bills are intended to accomplish both goals.”
Senator Simitian, agreed with the others and said: “California can and should act sooner rather than later to increase the use of renewable energy. Renewable energy provides an immediate response to the threat of global warming, cuts air pollution, reduces our dependence on foreign energy, and helps to limit the threat of another energy crisis. We need to set ourselves a clear target with a real deadline, and then make it as easy as possibly to bring renewable energy online.”
Senator Steinberg commented: “The Governor and Legislature have come together to make reducing global warming one of our highest priorities. We must now equip our state and regional transportation planners with the ability to measure California’s progress in reducing carbon emissions and give incentives to development that encourages reduction of greenhouse gasses.”
Senator Lowenthal noted the connection with recently passed bonds and said: “The voters of California have done their part by voting for Prop 1B and providing over $1 billion for air quality improvements related to goods movement. In order to move goods quickly and efficiently, it is imperative that those businesses that benefit from this public money also contribute to finding solutions to our air quality woes.”
For a more complete list of Bills and a link to the entire article, please link to:
http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/2007/02/california_sena_3.html