NYT editorial: California, not Washington, Leads on Global Warming

[DeepModem Mom]

Editorial
California Leads on Warming
Published: August 5, 2006

Tony Blair, the British prime minister, who worries about global warming more than any other world leader, has finally found an important American ally: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California. This week, the two agreed to collaborate on cleaner-burning technologies and to explore an emissions-reduction program that would combine mandatory controls on greenhouse gases with market incentives to reduce the costs of compliance.

Mr. Blair said he was not end-running his good friend President Bush. The governor was less diplomatic, saying that the administration and Congress had shown no leadership on the issue. In any case, the White House was a conspicuous no-show. No surprise there: the meeting of politicians and corporate executives, convened to discuss climate change, served only to dramatize how badly Washington lags both Britain and California with its program of voluntary reductions and Hail Mary technologies.

And California is about to get a lot tougher. Later this month, the Legislature will vote on two ground-breaking bills. One would set binding limits on greenhouse gas emissions with a goal of reducing them to 1990 levels by 2020 — an ambitious undertaking by any measure.

The other is a strikingly original bill that would bar long-term contracts with any out-of-state utility that failed to meet strict standards for pollution. A coal-fired plant in Wyoming, for instance, could sell power into California only if it found ways to dispose of most of its carbon dioxide, instead of merely venting it into the atmosphere. A bill like this would not only help California meet its targets but could also help jump-start clean-coal technologies that will be essential to reducing carbon dioxide emissions in countries like China and India.

For good measure, the Legislature will entertain two more warming-related bills, and Californians will be asked to vote in November on a ballot initiative that would raise $4 billion to promote alternative fuels....

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/05/opinion/05sat2.html?ex=1154923200&en=7ab3fa8ed6f3aae8&ei=5087%0A

[Hekate]

1. KnR. Well well well, the Governator has managed to impress me at last

Proving that even a Republican can turn out to be a true Kaleeforneean in matters of the environment.

It looks like the coastal states in general and California in particular are leading the way. I only hope it will not turn out to be too little too late. Getting emissions reduced to 1990 levels by 2020 is less ambitious than it needs to be.

Hekate

[Baselinereality]

2. This California Initiative Is Just Another Example of How Isolated Bush Is

Even though I'm grateful that the Civil War established the importance of the federal government over the states, I am glad that we actually HAVE states. Thank Christ that the Terminator can do something to signify a need to control an issue that is killing our planet.

California has led on many issues.

My God but Bush is nut crazy, in't he?

[Nikki Stone 1]

3. All about Ahnold getting re-elected.

....

[Hekate]

4. Strangely enough, it could have that effect

If he was Bush, he'd be holding conferences on gay marriage and appealing to our core group of religious whack-jobs.

By focusing on the environment in this way, he's actually gotten my favorable attention -- and I've never liked the man. He just did something important here.

Hekate

[Nikki Stone 1]

5. Arnold needs to be re-elected; he'll play the liberal (or centrist) until

he gets voted in by Dems who forget who the hell he really is and what he stands for.

Then, during his second term, Arnold will have control of the redistricting process in California. He might even be able to turn CA red as a result.

He's a Trojan horse, and enough CA Dems are knee-jerk enough about environmental gestures to vote for him. Do remember that Angelides' Achilles heel is the environment: the political commercials have been slamming him on his environmental sins since the primary when "centrist" Steve Westly went after him, running an environmental friendly campaign. Ahnold has picked up the environmental ball since Westly lost the primary and has been hammering Angelides.

The important thing for Californians is to NEVER forget Arnold's 4 propositions last year and how they almost passed. He is a wolf in sheep's clothing.