Schwarzenegger’s mixed environmental record on display at Treasure Island

Signs environmental bill, vetoes several others

News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 27, 2006

Contact: Rico Mastrodonato, CLCV, 415.572.3107

Oakland – Governor Schwarzenegger signed California’s heralded anti-global warming legislation today at Treasure Island in San Francisco. Although the bill, AB 32, has been described as a model of bi-partisan cooperation during the Schwarzenegger Administration, the bill reached the Governor’s desk with only a single vote from a Republican legislator, Shirley Horton (AD 78-San Diego).

“Governor Schwarzenegger's signing today of AB 32 is an election year ploy to establish environmental credentials a mere 41 days before voters go to the polls,” said Tom Adams, Board President of the California League of Conservation Voters. “The Governor is attempting to mask his overall weak environmental record and the fact that he attempted to weaken this bill in the legislature at the behest of his large corporate contributors. There would be no bill requiring greenhouse gas reductions to sign today if Democratic legislative leaders had not stood firm and pushed this legislation to the Governor’s desk, intact.”

Last week, Governor Schwarzenegger brought unwanted attention to his mixed environmental record with his veto of SB 927, a top priority bill for all of the major environmental groups, crafted to address the single largest standing source of air pollution in California – the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. This veto stands in stark contrast to the Governor’s own stated goals of reducing air pollution by 50% and aggressively cutting greenhouse gas emissions. In the 2006 session, Schwarzenegger has also vetoed both AB 2838 (Pavley) and AB 2444 (Klehs), legislation that would have created funds to ease traffic congestion and clean air pollution from motor vehicles.

The state’s top environmental organizations, including the California League of Conservation Voters, Sierra Club, and Vote the Coast, have all endorsed Phil Angelides for Governor this year. Said Adams, “CLCV and the rest of the environmental community are standing strong with Phil Angelides because he will be a Governor we can trust to protect our environment.”