L.A. Times:

Whitman, the former CEO of EBay, declared in September that her first act as governor would be to suspend the state’s pioneering climate change law, AB 32. It was a high-risk political move for Whitman, putting her campaign at odds with the views of a large majority of California voters while, more broadly, reigniting a statewide debate about the impact of strong environmental regulation on economic growth.

AB 32, which Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law in 2006, sets increasingly stringent caps on greenhouse gas emissions, leading to a 25% reduction by 2020. The governor’s office described the bill as “a first-in-the-world comprehensive program of regulatory and market mechanisms to achieve real, quantifiable, cost-effective reductions of greenhouse gases.”

That’s not how Whitman sees it. The law, she says, “will lead to higher energy costs at a time when we can least afford them. [It] will discourage job creation and could kill any recovery.” Schwarzenegger, who encouraged the measure, answered Whitman’s statements with sharp criticism for all those who assert a conflict between the economy and the environment:

“I think there are people that just don’t believe in fixing and working on the environment,” he said. “They don’t believe there is such a thing as global warming; they’re still living in the Stone Age.”

Financial Times (via Think Progress):

The California governor has become an environmental standard bearer for the Republican party, which is split on the merits of curbing emissions. Sarah Palin, John McCain’s running mate in the 2008 presidential election, has attacked cap and trade and questioned any link between man-made emissions and global warming.

“You have to ask: what was she trying to accomplish? ” said Mr Schwarzenegger. “Is she really interested in this subject or is she interested in her career and in winning the [Republican] nomination [for president]? You have to take all these things with a grain of salt.”

Carly Fiorina tacks right:

Following the endorsement of Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) Wednesday for her campaign to unseat Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), ex-Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina questioned the science of climate change. Boxer, as the chair of the Senate environment committee, is the chamber’s leading advocate for action to create jobs, make America more energy independent, and cut global warming pollution. Ranking environment committee member Inhofe — “Senator Climate Change Denier” — led a failed boycott of Boxer’s Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act (S. 1733). After news of Inhofe’s endorsement of Fiorina came out, a reporter asked whether she believes in global warming. Fiorina admitted she is skeptical about climate science.

Somehow I don’t think this is going to fly in California:

Fiorina faced several questions about climate change, an issue in which Boxer is deeply involved. The Republican said that global warming demands a serious response, but when asked whether she would back mandatory caps on carbon emissions, Fiorina said she would not comment on a bill she hasn’t read. As for what course of action she believes the government should take, Fiorina suggested engaging in bilateral talks with China to curb greenhouse gases, and easing regulations for alternative energy companies to build manufacturing plants.When a reporter followed up by asking whether she believes in global warming, Fiorina said, “I think we should have the courage to examine the science on an ongoing basis.”

In Oklahoma, sure, but not in California.

Raw Story:

Shell Oil Company will pay California more than 19 million dollars because of environmental violations at service stations throughout the state, officials said.The agreement, filed Friday in a California state court, requires Shell to pay 17.8 million dollars in civil penalties as well as 1.7 million dollars in costs to state and local agencies.

The deal ends a three-year investigation into more than 1,000 Shell stations throughout the state focusing on operation and maintenance of underground storage tanks, as well as the handling of hazardous waste materials.

California Attorney General Jerry Brown said in a news release that the investigation found hundreds of violations at the company’s gasoline stations in California.

“Shell Oil Company disregarded the state’s underground fuel storage and hazardous waste laws, committing hundreds of environmental violations at its gasoline stations across California,” Brown said.

Here is the order:

The original complaint and the judgment can be found here.

Mercury News:

Climate change could scatter California’s bird communities, forcing species to seek new homes that are cooler, wetter and more hospitable, according to a new study by Stanford University and partner institutions. For instance, the White-Crowned Sparrow, beloved for its thin, sweet whistle and dashing striped head and now common in San Jose, would be more likely spotted in the far northwest corner of the state, near Eureka. The Yellow-billed Magpie, now common in the Central Valley, may be Silicon Valley-bound.

However this means that entire ecosystems, built over eons of entwined relationships, could unravel.

The startling forecast, based on complex mathematical models of climate, vegetation and 60 bird species, concludes that half of California could be occupied by new bird communities by 2070.

Re-Shuffling of Species with Climate Disruption: A No-Analog Future for California Birds? –

Via Green Inc.

Press release below the fold.

Read the rest of this entry »

YubaNet (h/t David Roberts):

UCLA School of Law and the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law today released a new report showing policymakers how to boost climate-friendly real estate development in California. This type of development is typified by walkable communities near transit, jobs, and services and is key to reducing California’s greenhouse gas emissions.The paper’s recommendations are the result of a March workshop at UCLA School of Law, where California Attorney General Jerry Brown and the state’s leading real estate developers and architects discussed ways to overcome the barriers to sustainable development in California.

“Real estate development has generated incredible wealth in California, but it has also — in far too many cases — contributed to grinding traffic jams, pollution and a disturbing separation between where we work and where we live,” commented Attorney General Brown. “This set of recommendations, if followed, would make neighborhoods and cities more livable and slow the growth of greenhouse gas emissions.”

Removing_the_Roadblocks_August_2009 –

Oil Change:

The 2009 Adaptation Strategy Draft summarizes the latest science on how climate change could impact the state, and the results aren’t pretty.

For those who live with their hands in the sand and continue to deny that climate change is happening the draft makes uncomfortable reading.

It states: “Climate change is already affecting California. Sea levels have risen by as much as seven inches along the California Coast over the last century, increasing erosion and pressure on the state’s infrastructure, water supplies, and natural resources.”

2009 California Climate Adaptation Strategy Discussion Draft –

From the Pacific Institute.

Sustaining California Agriculture in an Uncertain Future –

From EPW.

Video of full hearing available here.

The focus of today’s hearing is on clean energy jobs, economic growth, and global warming policies from a state and local perspective. Providing incentives for clean energy is a win-win solution for our country — it helps to address the threat of global warming and it builds the foundation for long term recovery and prosperity. Right now, our states, cities and counties are leading the way in adopting smart policies to drive the transition to a clean energy economy.

I would like to thank our distinguished witnesses for being here today. On the first panel we have:
• Governor Bill Ritter from the State of Colorado,
• Governor Chris Gregoire from the State of Washington,
• Governor John Hoeven from the State of North Dakota,
• Governor Jon Corzine from the State of New Jersey.

On the second panel we have:
• Mayor Robert Kiss from the City of Burlington, Vermont,
• Mayor William Euille from the City of Alexandria, Virginia,
• State Representative John Lowery from Arkansas,
• Mayor Douglas Palmer from the City of Trenton, New Jersey.

We are facing two historic challenges today – the current recession, and the dangers of unchecked global warming. And we have the opportunity to address both with a single solution that will create millions of clean energy jobs in America, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and protect our children and grandchildren from pollution.

I agree with President Obama, who said: “We can remain one of the world’s leading importers of foreign oil, or we can make the investments that would allow us to become the world’s leading exporter of renewable energy. We can let climate change continue to go unchecked, or we can help stop it. We can let the jobs of tomorrow be created abroad, or we can create those jobs right here in America and lay the foundation for lasting prosperity.”

Legislation that provides incentives for clean energy will create jobs, increase our energy efficiency, save families and businesses money in energy costs and drive technological innovation.

When we provide incentives for clean energy development, we invest in American jobs. What kind of jobs are needed to build the clean energy economy? The University of Massachusetts at Amherst found that clean energy industries employ construction workers, electricians, boilermakers, mechanics, plant operators, farmers, engineers, scientists, and teachers.

My State of California is a national leader in clean energy job creation. A June 2009 Pew Charitable Trusts report found that more than 10,000 new clean energy businesses were launched in California from 1998 to 2007. During this period, clean energy investments created more than 125,000 jobs and generated jobs faster than the state’s economy as a whole.

I look forward to today’s testimony from state and local officials who are implementing innovative policies to help build the foundation for the clean energy economy.