Despite a whole lot of brouhaha over AB 32 and the proposition to derail it, two-thirds of California residents continue to back it — a percent unchanged from last year. So says a poll conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California.
But the results don’t put the climate law in the clear in November. Pollsters asked residents whether the state should take action “right away” on its plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or wait until the state’s economy and job situation improve: Respondents were evenly split.
Controversy surrounds the job-creating powers of the climate law, although most studies find a modest bump (and this analysis finds a definite boost to government jobs).
It’s important to note, though, that Prop 23 wouldn’t just put AB 32 on hold for a spell: It would wait for employment numbers so good that the state has seen them just three times in the past three decades, according to data from the California Department of Labor.
Earlier this week, Prop 23 backers — who get two-thirds of their financing from the Texas oil companies Valero and Tesoro — sued the state over language to be used on the ballot. The ballot will describe the measure as one that “suspends air pollution control laws requiring major polluters to report and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.” Backers deny that greenhouse gas emissions are air pollution and contend that AB 32 requires more than just “major polluters” to reduce their emissions.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/green/detail?entry_id=69072#ixzz0wyMQWQTT
