ecovote.org > scorecard > 2006 California Environmental Scorecard
2006 California Environmental Scorecard
Year In Review
<< | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | >>
Several of the Governor’s vetoes were particularly disappointing and conflict with his own stated goals of reducing air pollution in California by 50 percent. The LA-Long Beach ports are the single greatest contributor to air pollution in southern California, yet he vetoed SB 927, a consensus top-tier environmental priority. While the Governor cited the $1 billion for port air quality improvements in the transportation bond to justify his veto, both the Air Resources Board and the ports acknowledge that air quality improvements at the ports will cost as much as $12 billion. SB 927 is an important tool needed to reach the Governor’s own goals for reducing air pollution, and Senator Lowenthal has already announced he will bring the bill back in 2007.
The veto of SB 927 is troubling for another reason. Governor Schwarzenegger came into office vowing to “cut up the state’s credit cards” as a way to get spending under control. He also has said he supports the concept that polluters should pay at least part of the cost of cleaning up their pollution. Yet he rigidly opposed SB 927 by calling it a tax increase, even though it would have incorporated the cost of port air pollution into the products and activities causing the pollution. That’s “polluter pays,” Governor. Equally disappointing, he insists on imposing the cost of cleaning up port air pollution on all taxpayers for the next 30 years through General Fund bond repayments, rather than enacting a pay-as-you go system to finance port cleanup. That’s credit card spending that leaves the bill for future taxpayers, many of whom haven’t even yet been born.
SB 1489 was intended merely to clarify a statute enacted two years ago to allow the Attorney General to recover costs, just as private attorneys are allowed; the veto will imperil the ability of the Attorney General to enforce environmental laws. The veto of SB 1796 is a sad reminder that the Governor fired the entire Reclamation Board (the state agency charged with managing flood control) in 2005 after it infuriated the building industry by cracking down on residential developments in flood-prone areas.
Next page: The Governor's Choices
1 | 2 | 3 | About the Vetoes | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8
© 2008 California League of Conservation Voters. Contact us.
