Even Republicans Are Fighting Back Against Dirty Oil in California

By Ashleigh Talberth, AlterNet
Posted on October 26, 2010, Printed on May 27, 2012
http://www.alternet.org/story/148637/even_republicans_are_fighting_back_against_dirty_oil_in_california

As they say, "as goes California, so goes the country." That's why two propositions on the California ballot deserve special scrutiny -- Prop 26 (more on that below) and Prop 23, a Texas oil funded proposition to block California's clean energy economy. The No on 23 campaign has attracted strong bi-partisan opposition from Democrats--including President Obama and Al Gore-- and Republicans alike-including Governor Schwarzenegger and George Shultz.

While the Tea Party and virtually all Republicans in Congress represent themselves as climate change skeptics, and oppose climate change legislation, two prominent California Republicans are strong advocates for action now. Such support from leading conservatives is critical if we are to rise to our environmental and energy challenges.

George Shultz, former Secretary of State under President Reagan and a Fellow at the conservative think tank the Hoover Institute, is the Honorary Co-Chair of the campaign against Prop 23. "Prop 23 is designed to kill by indefinite postponement California's effort to clean up the environment," Shultz told the New York Times. "The stakes are high. I hope we can win here and send a message to the whole country that it's time to put aside partisan politics and get an energy bill out of Washington."

Shultz is demonstrating his opposition to Prop 23 in many ways, including speaking out against Prop 23 at a green building event on October 29th sponsored by U.S. Green Building Council-Northern California Chapter. Many people are not aware that buildings in the United States are responsible for 39 percent of CO2 emissions, 40 percent of energy consumption, 13 percent water consumption and 15 percent of GDP per year.

In an op-ed on Prop 23 for the Sacramento Bee, Shultz points out the long history of "pessimists underestimating what American ingenuity can do," referencing hostility from the auto industry around reducing emissions as required by the 1990 Clean Air Act. Instead of experiencing financial hardship, which the oil companies similarly fear with the enactment of California's clean energy and air standards next year, the auto industry not only met the emission requirements of the 1990 Clean Air Act but also had record profits for the next decade. Shultz notes that "the lesson of history is very clear: Every time we challenge American industries with higher standards, they meet them earlier, for less money and invent new products for export along the way." Shultz reflects that while California's clean energy and air standards "will have the effect of gradually putting a higher and higher price on the emission of carbon," that there are many ways of phasing in requirements to "minimize short-term drag on the economy and to soften the impact of adjustment to new requirements."

The Sacrament Bee article points out that other prominent Republicans in the past have taken climate change seriously. For example, Sen. John McCain used to be an advocate for action on climate change. Back in May 2008 he said, "We have many advantages in the fight against global warming, but time is not one of them. Instead of idly debating the precise extent of global warming, or the precise timeline of global warming, we need to deal with the central facts of rising temperatures, rising waters and all the endless trouble that global warming will bring. We stand warned by serious and credible scientists across the world that time is short and the dangers are great."

Serious climate change action is championed by another prominent Republican -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Prop 23 would overturn Governor Schwarzenegger's major environmental legacy, California's clean energy and air pollution standards. The Governor raised funds against Prop 23 and is widely quoted for his remark referencing the oil companies attempts to disguise Prop 23 as job creation: "Does anyone really believe that these companies, out of the goodness of their black oil hearts, are spending millions and millions of dollars to protect jobs?"

As expected, California Democratic party leaders also oppose Prop 23. President Obama also has come out strong against the measure, telling the Los Angeles Times, "if passed, the initiative would stifle innovation, investment in R&D and cost jobs for the state of California."

Polluter's Fund Stealth Anti-Environmental Proposition 26

Proposition 26 is another important measure on California's ballot that has attracted far less media attention than the No on Prop 23 campaign. Prop 26 would require a two-third's vote to raise any fees on industry which fund state regulatory and enforcement agencies. As we've seen in California, getting a two-third's vote on anything is near impossible these days.

Prop 26 "would eviscerate the funding of all air- and water-pollution programs, even oil-spill cleanup," Warner Chabot, chief executive of the California League of Conservation Voters, told the Los Angeles Times. "If 26 passes, it is a Christmas present to the oil industry, the tobacco industry and every other polluting industry. The cost of regulation will shift from the industry to taxpayers." While ultimately Prop 23 kills California's landmark clean energy and air standards, passage of Prop 26 hobbles the ability to implement AB 32 as originally written.

Californians need to be aware of both Propositions, and urge your friends and colleagues to get out the vote.

Ashleigh Talberth is Senior Program Manger of the USGBC-Northern California Chapter. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a non-profit, membership organization that is best known for its LEED green building certification system. By using less energy, LEED-certified buildings save money for families, businesses and taxpayers; reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and contribute to a healthier environment for residents, workers and the larger community.

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