AB 42 was introduced in 2006 by the California legislature as a way of seeking to control emissions throughout the state within a “cap and trade” scheme. Since its inception, the legislation has attracted considerable opposition, yet has survived challenges meant to water down or even suspend its effects. As the all-important November ballots approach, it seems that it will face a significant challenge, with a possible voter referendum ahead.
California climate action backers are up in arms about a potential clause in the state’s November ballot, where the state’s population will be asked whether AB 42 should be overturned or not. Those who are backing the repeal of AB 42 say that the state unemployment rate is far too high at the moment and will be negatively impacted should this legislation run its course.
A group supported by the oil industry has managed to raise more than 800,000 signatures, calling for the suspension of the Global Warming Solutions Act. This is well past the threshold requirement for inclusion on the ballot in November and it now seems that this question will, indeed, be asked.
The Kyoto Protocol called for meaningful action and AB 42 was seen as an effective answer to this call. This California climate action was due to really “grow teeth” in 2012, when a cap and trade system took hold. The California Air Resources Board is responsible for overseeing the program and for trying to achieve a reduction in emissions back to 1990 levels by 2020.
It is interesting to see that several significant oil companies and industry groups have invested considerable sums of money to help gather the 800,000 signatures calling for suspension of AB 42. The powerful lobbying group clearly sees a threat to their interests and is not swayed by the argument that this California climate action legislation could offset costs by creating “clean” jobs instead.
The recession has not been kind to supporters of California climate action. The after effects of the recession could be potentially far-reaching not only on the state level but also on the federal level. The main instruments suggested include either trading programs or carbon taxes and opponents say that these will inevitably mean an increase in energy costs. These costs, they say, would be a considerable handicap as we try and emerge from the recession.
Gov. Schwarzenegger appears ready to back the suspension of California climate action legislation that he signed into law in 2006. Should the item appear on the ballot and be voted down, climate action proponents could suffer a fairly significant setback.
What seems certain is that even should AB 42 be defeated in November, alternative versions would be under consideration soon thereafter. The problem of global warming is not going away and it is in the best interest of every single organization to ensure that they become sustainable as quickly as possible and reduce their reliance on fossil fuel energy.
Daniel Stouffer has a great deal of information about California climate action and how a visit to www.verisae.com can benefit you.
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