California is facing a $40 billion budget deficit over the next 18 months, and state leaders have been unable to agree on a solution. The state’s budget crisis has reached historic proportions and already affects many Californians. Now, it threatens to jeopardize key environmental laws, because Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is demanding that eleven ongoing road-building projects be exempt from further environmental review. He claims the exemption will create jobs now and stimulate the economy.

Our new CEO, Warner Chabot, had a letter to the editor printed last week on this issue (”Governor creates gridlock,” the second one down on the page); we need you to help urge the governor to keep our environmental protections intact.

Read our Action Alert for more information, a sample letter, and the governor’s contact information.

After you take action, let us know in the comments below what response you receive from the governor’s office, especially if you make a phone call. Thanks for taking time to do this!