ABC News
Reuters
Aug 17, 2006 — By Mary Milliken
SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) - California is forging ahead with the most aggressive U.S. program to reduce global warming — a plan that pits Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger against fellow Republican George W. Bush.
Both the governor and his state's Democratic-led legislature want to make California — the world's eighth largest economy — a model to follow with caps in greenhouse gas emissions that the U.S. president rejects.
State politicians still are hammering out differences over the proposed Global Warming Solutions Act. If passed, it is likely to play a role in November's vote for governor and in national politics for years to come.
Schwarzenegger — branded "very green for a Republican" by the conservation group Sierra Club — became an overnight hero for environmentalists a year ago by setting a goal to cut California's emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.
More recently, he accused fellow Republicans in Washington of lacking leadership on the environment as he signed a global warming accord with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
"We have a pretty brave governor who feels we should take the lead," said Linda Adams, a Democrat Schwarzenegger chose to run California's Environmental Protection Agency.
The Democrats say their bill gives the governor's 2020 target "teeth" with an enforceable cap on emissions and mandatory reporting for top polluters like energy companies.
If Schwarzenegger vetoes the bill because he wants a more business-friendly version, then the Democrats can use it against him in his reelection bid.
"Given that he has staked a large part of his reelection plea on his environmental record, I don't think he is in a position to veto this bill," said Bill Magavern of the Sierra Club in Sacramento.
Schwarzenegger practiced his balancing act while campaigning on Wednesday by saying the bill will be a "compromised version."
"Some environmentalists will say 'this is not perfect' and there will be other people in the business community who will say 'this is not perfect'."
 |
