"From the kitchen to the gas pump, the energy-using habits of Californians will be tested in the
coming years as the state gradually moves away from fossil fuels in a historic
bid to curb global warming," reports Michael Gardner in the U-T.
"Guiding that transition will be the California Air
Resources Board, which unveiled a proposed blueprint
yesterday for how the state plans to reduce its greenhouse
gas emissions.
"The strategy, which is expected to be reworked before
final adoption this year, concentrates on reducing
energy use through incentives and regulations aimed
at utilities, refineries and automakers.
"'There will be painful economic consequences as we go
there,' warned Catherine Reheis-Boyd, representing oil companies.
"But just how much sacrifice will be demanded is undetermined
even as Californians fill up with nearly $5-a-gallon gas, write larger checks to power companies
and pay more at the grocery store.
"'It's the price of fossil fuels that's going up,' said Mary Nichols, chairwoman of the Air Resources Board. The remedy,
she said, is promoting cheaper alternative energy sources.
"The draft plan will require companies and government
agencies to roll back greenhouse-gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. The emissions are linked to global warming."
"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger made a veiled swipe at Republican presidential hopeful
John McCain on Thursday when he said at a climate conference here that anyone suggesting
offshore oil drilling could bring down gas prices was
'blowing smoke,'" reports Carol Williams in the Times.
"The remark was also a dig at his host, Florida Gov.
Charlie Crist, who riled environmentalists, tourism promoters and
the state's political leaders on both sides of the aisle last
week when he voiced support for McCain's proposal to lift bans on exploring for oil off the
coasts of California, Florida and the Eastern Seaboard."
That's the difference between campaigning for the VP slot
and being Constitutionally ineligible for the VP slot...
"McCain and Crist, whom the presumptive Republican presidential
nominee is rumored to be considering as his running
mate, have come in for heavy criticism for backing
exploration that many Floridians and Californians fear
could pollute the coastal playgrounds that are vital
to their states' tourism-dependent economies."
Dan Walters asks: "Are Californians ready to become the point of the global-warming spear, shouldering the financial costs and
potential inconveniences that will be involved and,
in effect, exchanging the expansive California lifestyle
for something different?"
Well, if you put it that way...
"Schwarzenegger cites a poll by an outfit called Next
10, purporting to prove Californians are eager for that
change, but the poll didn't fully lay out the trade-offs that going green may require for the ambitious
goals for carbon reduction to be met. As with energy
deregulation, there is a tendency among advocates to
hype the upside without exploring the downside. And
we can be certain there will be a downside.
"Finally, there is the risk that even if we do everything
the governor wants us to do to reduce our "carbon footprint" (one wonders whether he'll do it himself), it will have very little real world impact. If China,
India and other "emerging economies" remain exempt from global emission standards and continue
to pump carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, California's effort may turn out to be an exercise in political
symbolism signifying nothing.
"By the time we know one way or the other, Schwarzenegger
will be long gone from Sacramento."
State firefighters are asking for some help from the governor, something that goes beyond the guv's request that Californians not buy fireworks this summer.
The Merc's Steve Geissinger reports, "A
firefighters' blue-ribbon task force created by Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger in 2004 — and revived last year after devastating blazes
— pleaded with the governor and lawmakers Thursday to
"get real" about
the growing wildfire threat facing California.
The task force,
which includes top fire officials in Contra Costa and
Alameda counties,
issued a statement calling for funds to finance more
firefighters,
year-round staffing in rural areas, and additional engines
and aircraft
in future years.
Sheldon Gilbert, Alameda County's fire chief and
a commission member, said, "We're saying, 'Hey, we have a problem out
there.' This is the third siege in five years. We need to
move forward
very aggressively."
In recent days, drought, winds and lightning
have fostered more than 1,000 fires in Northern California, blackening
more than 158,000 acres and destroying at least 40 structures,
authorities said. Several evacuations and highway closures
remain in
effect."
Meanwhile, the state's not being a model citizen when it comes to the environment.
"The state department that looks after the Capitol's emergency underground fuel tank was ordered to pay $93,350 in penalties Wednesday after Sacramento County inspectors
cited it for ignoring environmental and hazardous materials
regulations ," reports Andrew McIntosh in the Bee.
"The court-approved penalty marks the second time in four years
that the county's Environmental Management Department cited the state
Department of General Services for violating regulations
governing the safe operation of underground fuel storage
tanks.
"A 2004 case involving underground fuel tanks at the General
Services garage, at 1416 10th St., led to initial penalties of $198,000. General Services officials settled it with a payment
of $43,650, county hazardous materials chief Dennis Green said.
"Green said when his inspectors checked the Capitol's underground fuel tank last fall, they found General
Services had failed to test its containment systems
at least once in three years.
"State workers also failed to certify at least once
a year that the 1,000-gallon tank's leak-detection system was working. Lastly, they failed to
remove water from a secondary containment system, rendering
the entire emergency tank's leak-detection system inoperable, the county's violation summary shows.
"The underground tank supplies fuel to the Capitol's backup emergency generator if local power systems
fail in a blackout or terrorist attack."
"Having cycled through the numbers once again, California
elections officials will start from the beginning in numbering this fall's batch of ballot propositions — and Nos. 1 through 11 have already been accounted for," reports Tim Herdt in the Ventura County Star.
"With the passage of Thursday's deadline to qualify measures for the Nov. 4 ballot, 11 had made the cut. The Legislature, because it has
the authority to waive legal deadlines, could still
add one or more in the weeks to come.
"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger would like to see lawmakers
add to the ballot a measure to change the operation
of the lottery and a bond measure to fund water projects.
"Whether the final number remains at 11 or grows to 12 or 13, voters will have to decide a large, but rather typical,
number of questions in the fall. Two years ago, there
were 13 measures and four years ago there were 16. It could be worse: In the fall of 1988 there were 29 propositions, followed by 28 in November 1990.
"Secretary of State Debra Bowen will not wait for the Legislature to act before assigning
numbers. A spokeswoman for her office said the numbers
will be assigned within a few days."
And in Los Angeles, a little war has broken out between Controller Laura
Chick and city attorney Rocky Delgadillo.
"Los Angeles Controller Laura Chick on Thursday subpoenaed
records from
City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo's workers' compensation division, the
latest salvo in an escalating power struggle between
two citywide
elected officials.
"Chick said she acted after Delgadillo refused to allow
her office to
conduct a performance audit on his workers' compensation program, which
oversaw $128 million in payouts in the last budget year, a 9% increase
from the previous year, and spends millions more each
year on hiring
outside attorneys and office costs.
"The people of Los Angeles
have the right to know how their government spends
their hard-earned
tax dollars," Chick told reporters at a morning news conference,
adding
that the purpose was to determine if the program is
run efficiently and
effectively.
"After Chick's comments, a spokesman for Delgadillo disputed her
authority, contending that the Los Angeles City Charter
does not give
the controller the power to "conduct performance audits of other
elected offices" or subpoena the city attorney."
And finally, from our Religion Desk, the Devil may
wear Prada, but the Pope, it appear, does not.
AP reports, "After years of speculation that Pope
Benedict wears shoes by Prada, the Vatican's official newspaper
denied such talk as "frivolous".
"Esquire magazine last year named the 81-year-old pontiff
"accessoriser of the year" for his red leather loafers that
fashionistas had said were probably made by the Italian
fashion
house.
"A Vatican spokesman explained that the pope's shoes, like his range
of flamboyant hats, are nothing to do with vanity but
all to do
with tradition. 'The pope, in summary, does not wear Prada, but
Christ,' it said."
Hmm, sounds like a rather Clintonian denial, n'est-ce pas?
"The article did not say who did make the shoes.
