The PCL Insider: News From The Capitol

WINNING, WAITING, AND WARMING IN SACRAMENTO 

Winning: Last week we reported that Governor Schwarzenegger had yet to sign any of the environmental legislation that was sent to his desk at the end of the session. We're happy to report that yesterday the Governor announced the signing of seven ocean protection and water quality bills at the international "California and the World Ocean" conference in Long Beach.

Here are two of the measures he signed:

SB 497 (Simitian) will help California fight the introduction of invasive aquatic species by enacting specific performance standards for the discharge of "ballast water" (water pumped into the bottom of a ship to ensure its stability). These standards will become progressively more restrictive leading to a total ban on detectable levels of invasive species in discharged ballast water by 2020.

AB 2485 (Jones) establishes a research program focused on reducing sea otter mortality from non-point source pollution and increases fines for killing a sea otter, marine mammal or fully protected mammal from $5,000 to $25,000. AB 2485 will also establish a tax check off that will benefit sea otter research and protection.

Waiting: The Governor has less than two weeks to take action on many other priority environmental and public health measures. We're still waiting to see what he decides to do and working hard to influence his final decision. 

Want to help? Call the Governor's office today at (916) 445-2841 and urge him to sign AB 2444 which would reduce motor vehicle emissions in the San Francisco Bay Area. The measure allows the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) and the nine Bay Area counties' Congestion Management Agencies (CMAs) to impose an annual fee of up to $5 each for environmental mitigation and congestion management, improving the Bay Area's air and water quality and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Warming: Last week, Sacramento once again became the hot spot for action on global warming. For three days California's leading scientists presented their research and spoke about the pressing need for societal change to curb global warming pollution. Their conclusions, presented at the joint California Energy Commission and Cal/EPA third annual Climate Change Research Conference, didn't fall on deaf ears. The conference was packed with scientists, policy makers, and community leaders from across the state, eager to get the latest scoop on our warming state.

PCL's René Guerrero appreciated the event's mix of science and advocacy. "The scientific community presented compelling evidence of the severe environmental, social and economic costs of climate change. Then they called on us to help ordinary Californians take notice and implement policies to limit the effects of climate change. It's inspiring to see the scientific community take a stand on this issue and we're excited to continue taking their message to the public and to our state's decision makers."

Missed the conference? To download presentations or listen to audio visit:  http://www.climatechange.ca.gov/events/2006_conference/index.html