This week, the state court of appeals ruled that environmental impact report (EIR) for an expansion and modernization of the Chevron refinery in Richmond failed to address the additional pollution and greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the project. The ruling maintains a lower court injunction against proceeding with the project. Chevron can now decide to drag the issue out with further litigation when they know their chance of success is minimal, or the company can agree to attend settlement talks with community groups and make a good faith effort to upgrade their refinery while reducing the levels of pollution.
The opponents of the proposition to suspend AB 32, the state’s clean energy law, today launched a new website: www.StopDirtyEnergyProp.com.
The website will serve as a hub for the latest campaign news and developments, as well as videos and Twitter and Facebook feeds. It includes fact sheets and other information on why killing AB 32 will damage our state’s economy, increase pollution, and harm public health. It also features options for Californians to voice their opposition including a campaign toolkit and sign-up sheet.
Valero and Tesoro… names that sound like hill towns in Tuscany rather than the monikers of two mega-polluting oil companies who put up millions to do away with California’s landmark AB 32 greenhouse gas reduction law.
Tomorrow is the deadline for submitting signatures to get a measure that would stop the implementation of California’s landmark Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32 – 2006) onto the November ballot.
A couple of million dollars from Texas-based oil companies like Valero and Tesoro meant that petition signature gathers could be paid 50% more than the going rate for each signature on this initiative that they collected.
These Texas oil companies only have four refineries in California. Why not put that $2 million that’s funding this initiative effort instead towards clean technology upgrades so that they comply with AB 32’s requirements for CO2 emission reduction?
