… and speaking of Republican sneak attacks

onJul 31, 2007 @ 13:54 PDT

Seems that the first big controversy has already erupted over Governor Schwarzenegger’s new Global Warming Solutions Act.

Republicans in the State of California are holding the State’s budget hostage after slipping in a line item that would limit enforcement of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) over the next five years.

The detainee in this case is a clause in the California Environmental Quality Act, that allows the State to sue cities and counties for failing to adequately take into account greenhouse gas emissions when planning for new development. Such action was not possible under CEQA in the past, however Gov. Schwarzenegger’s AB 32, Global Warming Solutions Act has cleared the way for regulating greenhouse gases through CEQA when it was passed into law late last year.

There’s no doubt that the State’s industry associations are behind the Republican push. Using the tired old “sky is falling” rhetoric, groups such as the Western States Petroleum Association, the California Independent Oil Marketers Association and the Industrial Environmental Association wrote a letter claiming that “the consequences to California’s economy, consumers and workers will be severe,” and “these challenges have the potential to stop or significantly delay thousands of new homes from being built.”

The Planning and Conservation League has responded to the industry coalition’s letter.

Ironically, one of the leaders behind the industry push is the California Manufacturers and Technology Association, who will be shortly holding annual energy conference. This year’s theme is California Manufacturers Leading the Way on Climate Change: Innovation, Markets & Prosperity.

By Kevin Grandia

Kevin is a contributor and strategic adviser to DeSmog. He runs the digital marketing agency Spake Media House. Named a “Green Hero” by Rolling Stone Magazine and one of the “Top 50 Tweeters” on climate change and environment issues, Kevin has appeared in major news media outlets around the world for his work on digital campaigning. Kevin has been involved in the public policy arena in both the United States and Canada for more than a decade. For five years he was the managing editor of DeSmogBlog.com. In this role, Kevin’s research into the “climate denial industry” and the right-wing think tank networks was featured in news media articles around the world. He is most well known for his ground-breaking research into David and Charles Koch’s massive financial investments in the Republican and tea party networks. Kevin is the first person to be designated a “Certified Expert” on the political and community organizing platform NationBuilder. Prior to DeSmog, Kevin worked in various political and government roles. He was Senior Advisor to the Minister of State for Multiculturalism and a Special Assistant to the Minister of State for Asia Pacific, Foreign Affairs for the Government of Canada. Kevin also worked in various roles in the British Columbia provincial government in the Office of the Premier and the Ministry of Health. In 2008 Kevin co-founded a groundbreaking new online election tool called Vote for Environment which was later nominated for a World Summit Award in recognition of the world’s best e-Content and innovative ICT applications. Kevin moved to Washington, DC in 2010 where he worked for two years as the Director of Online Strategy for Greenpeace USA and has since returned to his hometown of Vancouver, Canada.