The PCL Insider: News From The Capitol

CALIFORNIA MAKES HISTORY: THE GLOBAL WARMING SOLUTIONS ACT OF 2006 – AB 32

The Planning and Conservation League is delighted that AB 32 has passed both the Senate and the Assembly, and that the Governor has pledged to sign it into law. The passage of AB 32 puts California on the road to making real reductions in global warming pollution. And as California leads, so the nation is likely to follow. Global warming is a problem that demands a disciplined and determined response on a national level, but leadership hasn’t come from the federal government. With the passage of AB 32, California is stepping up to provide much needed national leadership, and PCL is convinced that this new law is going to make a substantial difference not only in California, but throughout the nation and the world.

The most important provision of AB 32 is found in its commitment to carry out an effective and substantial rollback of the current emissions that cause global warming. The implementation of AB 32 will mean that Californians will be emitting substantially less global warming pollution in the year 2020 than they do today, despite the future growth and development of the California economy. One of the most effective environmental agencies in the nation, the California State Air Resources Board, has been given lead responsibility to make sure that we achieve the goals that AB 32 sets. It’s a difficult and challenging assignment, but AB 32 provides the ARB with the tools it needs to do the job, without causing new pollution that will adversely affect low income and minority communities, and without causing significant economic and business disruption. In fact, one of the many benefits of AB 32 is likely to be the stimulus it provides to the California economy.

Speaker of the Assembly Nuñez, and Assembly Member Pavley, the main authors of the bill, are to be congratulated for their perseverance and insistence that AB 32 be more than a symbolic statement. Thanks to their leadership, this bill can be the foundation for the changes our nation must make to confront the threat of global warming. Senator Perata, President Pro Tem of the Senate, deserves thanks for his own leadership, in making sure that a strong bill passed his house. Environmental Defense and the Natural Resources Defense Council acted as sponsors and chief environmental negotiators on AB 32, and their effective leadership on behalf of the environment is evident in the legislation ultimately enacted. The thousands of PCL members and other environmentalists who lobbied on the bill, letting their legislators and the Governor know of their support, also played a vital role in the passage of AB 32. Finally, Governor Schwarzenegger should be congratulated, as well, in advance, for his promised signature on this path breaking law. 

No one should think that AB 32 will be “self-implementing.” Success will be achieved only if the same kind of dedication and persistence that brought the enactment of AB 32 is maintained in the implementation phase. PCL is already gearing up to play a leading role in helping to mobilize the public to make sure that AB 32 realizes its full promise.

John Van de Kamp, President
Planning and Conservation League Board of Directors

Gary A. Patton, Executive Director
Planning and Conservation League