Blogger Andrea Marr tells how and why she was excited by this late move by California’s legislature. National Memo: Californians Ready for a Greener Economy
Despite the success of California’s historic Global Warming Solutions Act (also known as AB 32), this summer saw an interesting turn of events in the form of AB 69, an attempt by Central Valley assemblyman Henry Perea to suspend the next phase of the Act’s implementation. This controversial next phase extends carbon pollution caps to the transportation sector.
Thankfully, AB 69 died in the legislature last week thanks to Senate president pro Tem Darrell Steinberg’s decision to delay hearing it before the end of the session.
...So another beating back of BIGOIL Intersts in CA.. They don’t happen often enough. Environmentalists, and health care advocates were thrilled with the pro Tem Steinberg's letter to Perea..which included:
“If we are serious about reducing fuel costs and righting the public health and economic wrongs facing our constituents,” he wrote, “we must wean ourselves off fossil fuels and invest in cleaner transportation alternatives.”
The author suprised herself by being so interested she followed:
I found myself on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen with AB 69. Californians drive almost 14,000 miles a year, over one and a half times more than the national average. And we don’t just drive more miles; we even own more cars than we have drivers!
More history and stats are given about Califonia’s needs and prior response eg. AB32 to decrease Fossil Fuel TRANSPORTATION pollution. .... but there is more, below the Orange Design
Ms. Marr’s bio indicates she is a member of the Truman Project’s Defense Council, an energy efficiency engineer, and a former officer in the U.S. Navy, thus probably more qualified than I to also include...
As the Truman National Security Project’s Michael Wu and I wrote last week,
Protect California's Energy Security
our dependence on fossil fuels is a national security liability as well. Our reliance on fossil fuels puts our men and women in uniform at risk while funding unstable regimes and terrorist groups like ISIS. We simply must move away from fossil fuels, for our health and our security.
So Yep, It is a National Security issue too. ...
Me, I just want healthier kids and a bluer sky. I remember driving through LA past Disneyland through gray/brown/purple muck ..with a painful chest on every breath..and not even being able to see the Matterhorn through it!. Next time you are there, just think about this.