If you've been reading Calitics very long, you've heard about Valero and Tesoro, the two leading funders of the initiative to eliminate AB 32, California's landmark climate change bill. Well, now it seems that Arnold has noticed them as well.
"As you know, there are greedy Texas oil companies that are trying to take out AB 32 and roll it back," Schwarzenegger said. "We of course do everything we can to fight them because for us it's very important to protect those laws and not have outside oil companies that only think of one thing -- and this is profits -- to come into California and to try to take those laws out and roll them back and so on."(Sac Bee)
For once, I get to say this: what Arnold said. I feel like the moon must be in some bizarre alignment to see myself writing that.
But, of course, he's dead on. This is entirely about short-term profits, while ignoring the long-term effects of greenhouse gas pollution. Here's the thing with these oil companies, they've been getting a free ride for a long time. The environmental impacts of their products just haven't been priced into the costs. That's what AB 32, and the proposed regulations, will do.
We can't let these greedy Texas oil companies come to California to mess with California. Texas already wounded the nation with one export in the 2000 election. The last thing we need is more short-sighted policy from my childhood home. Sorry, Texas, we'll pass on this one, I'm waiting for my Texas barbecue instead. |
