History in the Making

California leads the nation in fighting global warming

This week, the California State Legislature and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced an agreement on landmark legislation to curb global warming emissions in California. The bill, Assembly Bill 32 (Núñez), requires the state to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020—the first requirement of its kind in the United States.

This unprecedented bill—which faced fierce opposition from the oil industry, the California Chamber of Commerce, and large manufacturers— is an enormous victory for the environment and for all Californians. Once again, California leads the nation on environmental policy that has worldwide significance.

AB 32 would not have survived the session if not for the outstanding dedication and leadership of the bill’s primary authors, Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez and Assemblymember Fran Pavley, as well as that of Senate President Pro tem Don Perata and Governor Schwarzenegger.

Our colleagues at the Natural Resources Defense Council and Environmental Defense deserve immense credit for taking the lead on this issue since the session began in January. We also want to extend our sincerest gratitude to the hundreds of CLCV members who wrote letters and made phone calls throughout the year and within the last week—your involvement in this process made a huge difference in this truly historic victory. Thank you all!