Arnold and the environmentalists
Environmental activist and business executive…?
California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is BOTH.
Although Arnold Schwarzenegger has pushed for aggressive environmental regulations (notably the landmark global warming law, AB 32, signed in 2006), some of the governor’s recent moves have drawn fire from environmental groups. Last-minute actions on the state Green Chemistry Initiative, a program that is meant to remove dangerous chemicals from retail products, were particularly disappointing to environmental activists.
A recent relaxation of regulations by the administration caused 33 environmental, health, and community groups to warn that they had become “so ineffective and burdensome that they should be jettisoned altogether.” The author of the legislation, Assemblymember Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles) was so disturbed by the changes that he no longer supports the regulations. Groups that oppose administration actions with regard to the regulations accuse the Schwarzenegger administration of fast-tracking changes before Jerry Brown‘s inauguration as governor.
The secretary of the state Environmental Protection Agency, noting the outrage from environmentalists and lawmakers, asked the department to delay finalizing the regulations by extending the review period and permitting more comments from the department’s scientific advisory council.
The Schwarzenegger administration also fast-tracked regulations to give agribusiness use of methyl iodide to treat soil for strawberries and other crops. Methyl iodide is a controversial chemical that scientists say can cause cancer, brain damage, and miscarriages. The Department of Pesticide regulation stated that methyl iodide “could result in significant health risks for [farm] workers and the general population.” An independent panel of scientists agreed, noting that methyl iodide could poison the air and water.
Last week, after heavy lobbying by industry, the Air Resources Board voted to give businesses more time to comply with air pollution rules for diesel trucks and excluded some vehicles from the retrofits that were required.
Environmental groups are not in agreement, either. The Sierra Club warned that new regulations that establish a carbon trading regime include a giveaway to certain industries, but other groups, including the Nature Conservancy and the Environmental Defense Fund said that they are a small price to pay for the launch of a “cap-and-trade” system when federal legislation on the issue is stalled.
-Bill at
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