Judge places California's global warming program on hold

A San Francisco superior court judge has put California's sweeping plan to curb greenhouse gas pollution on hold, saying the state did not adequately evaluate alternatives to its cap-and-trade program.

In a 35-page decision, Judge Ernest H. Goldsmith said the Air Resources Board had failed to consider public comments on the proposed measures before adopting the plan, which affects a broad swath of the state's economy. In particular, the judge noted, officials gave short shrift to analyzing a carbon fee, or carbon tax, devoting a “scant two paragraphs to this important alternative” to a market-based trading system in their December 2008 plan.

The air board said it would appeal the judge's decision, which was filed late Friday and released Monday.

The potential setback in California, the first state to enact a broad global warming law, comes amid heightened nationwide controversy over how to curb the gases that trap heat in Earth's atmosphere, and change climates. A cap-nd-trade bill passed the U.S. House in 2009, but failed in the Senate after intense opposition from the coal and oil industries. With the election of more business-oriented politicians last November, the measure is considered dead in the short term.

In the November election, however, Californians voted down a oil-refinery-sponsored ballot initiative to delay the state's global warming law, which is touted as a spur to California’s fast-growing renewable energy industry. The 2006 law requires the state to cut its greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.

The California lawsuit was filed by six environmental groups that represent low-income communities, including the Association of Irritated Residents, based in the San Joaquin Valley, and Communities for A Better Environment, which fights pollution around the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

The groups contend that a cap-and-trade program would allow refineries, power plants and other big facilities in poor neighborhoods to avoid cutting emissions of both greenhouse gases and traditional air pollutants.

“This decision is good for low-income communities like Wilmington, Carson and Richmond,” said Bill Gallegos, executive director of Communities for a Better Environment. “It means that oil refineries, which emit enormous amounts of greenhouse gases and contribute to big health problems, cannot simply keep polluting by purchasing pollution credits, or doing out of state projects.”

California's cap-and-trade program was strongly backed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger over the objections of groups that prefer direct regulations, or a carbon tax, on industrial polluters. Under the market-based system, companies can meet their obligations by purchasing credits from other companies, or from projects such as forest preservation that cut pollution more cheaply.

“Claims of environmental harm from a program of tradable allowances for greenhouse gases are unfounded,” the Air Resources Board said in a statement on the judge’s decision.

The board’s attorneys will meet with plaintiffs about complying with the order without halting all aspects of its global warming plan. Besides the cap-and-trade program, which covers 600 industrial plants, the plan includes rules to curb the carbon intensity of gasoline production and distribution, slash motor-vehicle emissions and control potent greenhouse gases such as refrigerants.

“We believe plaintiffs did not intend to put on hold efforts to improve energy efficiency, establish clean car standards and develop low carbon fuel regulations,” the board said. Such a “broadly written” order, “puts at risk a range of efforts to move California to a clean energy economy,” it added.

Legislation has been introduced in Congress backing carbon fees over cap-and-trade systems, and a carbon tax is enjoying widespread support in British Columbia, where it is offset by cuts to other taxes. But the administration of California Gov. Jerry Brown has given no indication of whether it would be open to similar alternatives.

Politically influential green groups, such as the Environmental Defense Fund, the Nature Conservancy and the Natural Resources Defense Council have backed a cap-and-trade approach, and did not join the lawsuit by environmental justice groups.

RELATED:

California Air chief blasts auto trade group over greenhouse gas rules

Will California companies offset their carbon emissions with Mexican forests?

Oil Refineries launched a ballot initiative against California's global warming law

--Margot Roosevelt

PHOTO: Valero's Wilmington refinery, near the Port of Long Beach. The company was the main funder of Proposition 23, a ballot initiative to suspend California's global-warming law. And it would be among 600 industrial facilities covered by the state's cap-and-trade program. Christina House /Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Vern]

Gloabl Warming is a SCAM.In the 70's where were having GLOBAL COOLING.
These regulations are going to hurt everyone with high prices for everything so how is this going to better the low income people.Unless there on the goverment trough then they don't care.
When you start paying $6.00 a mile to get your food hauled to the store then we will see what you think of these regulations.

[WhyEyeOughta]

Initial estimates by the Congressional Budget Office project that an economy-wide cap-and-trade program would generate at least $50 billion per year, but could reach up to $300 billion. Approximately 10 percent of this revenue should be allocated to help offset costs to businesses and shareholders of affected industries.

For the oil sector, the large players will mainly pass carbon allowance costs to consumers by way of an increase at the pump of about 13 cents.

The five largest firms — ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, BP and Royal Dutch Shell — would see their final carbon costs ranging from $247 million to $355 million.

Apparently, the efforts of the big five firms to obfuscate the issue has been successful, as evidenced by the number of wild posters who, without a lick of scientific evidence, claims AGW is a "complete hoax".

[susan]

The potential setback in California, the first state to enact a broad global warming law, comes amid heightened nationwide controversy over how to curb the gases that trap heat in Earth's atmosphere, and change climates.

A setback? The AGW hoax has been exposed. The controversy lies in denying it is a hoax put out by idiots that are trying to force us to live under a hoax. Until the so called science of AGW is cleaned there isn't any trust in the science. So why should any state lead the way on something that may be exaggerated and faulty? That would be nuts. But then again, CA has never been known for being anything but a bunch of nuts living here.

[Robert Jacobs]

What a (short-term) victory for the people over its foolish and stupid lefty Green politicians!

When the history of this time is written, the power of global warmistas and Luddite fools who hate their fellow human beings, modernity and freedom will amaze our descendants. It will be a wonder that the media, government and business interests all found a common interest in fleecing the citizenry of their money, liberty and rights under the tyranny of the pseudo-science Green movement.

The L.A. Times is complicit in the advancement of this totalitarianism. Were there any journalism left worthy of its name, this movement would have been exposed long ago.

I respectfully request that the greens leave the rest of us, so that we can build a future free of the shackles of superstition and paganism. Please start your own resource-deprived fascist colony somewhere in the Antarctic.

[Mea Sententia]

CARB and all enviro-pagan groups are scam artists bent on destroying the freedoms and the ecomony. Anthropogenic global warming is a 100% scam. Carbon is good and so is C02. We are Carbon. Don't let those con-artists fool you. Don't let your liberal controlled educational system continue to dumb down the populace. If you don't learn the facts you will believe the lies. Where are the rising sea levels?? Al Gore.. Have you put sand bags around your beach front house yet?

[eric anderson]

"Regardless of all the dissin' against global warming, it IS happening. Unfortunately for those who believe it, they will suffer along with those who don't." --Espinoza43

It depends on what time scale we are talking about. The earth has warmed since the Little Ice Age. I think few would dispute that. If we look at proxy records of historical temperatures, it is cooler now than several ages in the past 20,000 years. Over the 500,000 year record locked in Antarctic ice cores, it looks like we are overdue for an ice age, which is the usual state of our planet in this phase of geologic history -- warm periods such as we enjoy today are quite brief on the long time-scale. Many scientists in the mid-1970s thought we were headed in that direction. This is also something to consider, because even if human activity is warming the globe, it might just delay an ice age. That's a positive effect. So also are the increased agricultural yields and green growth that should occur with a higher CO2 level.

Few in the media seem to consider the positive effects of global warming, and the low costs of adaptation versus the astoundingly high cost of reducing GHGs.

But if we must reduce carbon-based fuels, then a tax is probably the fairest and simplest way. Even that arch-warmist Hansen at NASA believes the cap-and-trade system is substandard. The CA air board should have seriously examined the carbon tax alternative.

[TruckerMatt]

Calif Air Rescources Board is a fraudulent organization filled with a bunch of crooks and liars. They are destroying businesses by the thousands and the un-informed go about their lives wondering why everything has gotten so expensive.

[jonaf]

This is an opportunity for conservatives to stand up and teach the concepts of conservatism and ask the obvious, yet little-asked, questions about global warming: Why do we never acknowledge the massive changes we've already made? What happens if we over-correct? How will we know? Will we all be mandated to buy Hummers and spray aerosol cans? Why are scientists promoting global warming not referred to as "big science" with their obvious agenda to maintain the grants?

Conservatives need to shed the fear and make their case.

Jon
www.gutfeelingbook.com - making the case

[danpa]

nice to see that some judges are starting to wake up to all the hype, and now ask for 'objective' evidence versus emotional evidence...???

[Gil]

I love the photo! That is all steam... Failure at an epic level.

Trying to mislead people yet again...

I say let California go nuts, outlaw power plants, refineries and the lot, you can buy it from the rest of the USA. For way more than you want to.

Morons.

[styrgwillidar]

"..but failed in the Senate after intense opposition from the coal and oil industries."

What a biased, worthless article. It fails to mention that CARB based a lot of it's regulations on a study from a person who forged his qualifications. As well as falsifying or simply making up data in that study'. They continued with their regulations even after finding out about the forged credentials and faked data. And in fact, the individual wasn't even fired.

The bill at the federal level failed because of the groundswell of average citizens who have looked at the data and realized the whole man caused climate change has been a swindle from the start. Designed specifically to enrish Al Gore, GE and the other 'green' companies. It's another game of one party faking the science to enrich their friends at the cost of the average taxpayer.

[Eric Cartman]

Wow, I can hear the squeals of the Left all the way here in my Texas oil field! Such sweet sounds of insanity. I love it when Lefties break down.

[Ratt]

FTA: "With the election of more business-oriented politicians last November, the measure is considered dead in the short term."

Translation: The Democrats lost heavily to Republicans back in November.

FTA: "Legislation has been introduced in Congress backing carbon fees over cap-and-trade systems, and a carbon tax is enjoying widespread support in British Columbia"

Translation: Widespread support in British Columbia's Parliament, the actual cost for the cap-and-trade system was passed on to the knaves of British Columbia.

Global Warming is a Ponzi Scheme. Let's see how cap-and-trade works. The Gov'ts are gona force energy companies to purchase carbon-credits for polluting the air. In return these fees will be distributed to 3rd world countries by carbon-credit companies. Who owns the carbon-credit companies ? Let's see, Al Gore owns one, Bill Clinton and John Kerry own another, Bill Gates and George Soros own one also, you see where this going ? And, how are the energy companies suppose to clean up their acts, that's the ponzi scheme part, they don't have to, they just purchase these carbon-credits to offset any penalities. In other words this is a political money grab, and it's cheaper for the energy companies to purchase these bogus carbon-credits than it is to actually try and fix a problem they can't control anyway. Besides that, the taxpayer will end up picking up the tab.

I mean comon, if bringing the country to it's knees is your objective then by all means full steam ahead. But, with gas fixing to hit $5 bucks this summer, the price of food has skyrocketed, the housing market is done and we are in 4 Wars now you will only be signing our death certificate. And, I for one would hate to see America take the Egyptian Highway.

[Rob]

As a climate scientist, I can state that although humans are increasing the temperature of the planet somewhat by releasing CO2, the measures CA has taken to implement a cap and trade system for CO2 are misguided. The cost of this type of system is excessive when you consider the benefits to the environment.

[juancuba01]

As Mexico, India, China, other countries don't care about global warming and continue to pollute, we'll kill off our own econonmy to protect mother earth. LAME

[GFM2011]

@Espinoza43: Yes, a solid connection WILL be made... And if the data stubbornly refuse to cooperate, the global warming alarmist liars will simply create their own until it is "proven." Global warming IS happening; it is part of a natural cycle and there's nothing at all we can do to change it. The arrogance of atheistic leftists is staggering! You actually believe you can control the weather, save planets, alter geologic history... This bordeers on megalomania, you have created God in your own image, and you are now gods. Or utter, reckless fools.

[JustAGuy]

@Espinoza43, of course there's global warming. And there's global cooling too! This is nothing new, the globe has always behaved like that. Blame the sun.

However, man-made climate change is a scam based on junk science.

[Ringtone Records]

This either means we as humans are not smart enough to come up with alternative energy options or the Judge is on the payroll of the established 'dirty' economy.

[JustAGuy]

"I can't believe you much if you don't have correct grammar. Correct it if you want me to continue reading." - Posted by: lucy

Are you serious? You're NOT that important. For that matter, none of us are.

[Espinoza43]

Regardless of all the dissin' against global warming, it IS happening. Unfortunately for those who believe it, they will suffer along with those who don't.

Comments don't help. In this matter, science needs to take the lead....regardless of the time it takes. I don't think ANYONE can refute it. The real issue, it seems to me, is the timing. It can already be seen; however, to attribute it to climate is guessing at best.

I am sure of this, a solid connection WILL be made.

[GFM2011]

Amazingly there is one judge left in the land of fruits and nuts who possesses a shred of common sense. It's really funny to hear the squeals of protest when just one ruling gets in the way of liberals who have become accustomed to the courts simply legislating from the bench in their favor. What about Prop. 187? Voters passed that, 59-41... but a liberal judge threw it out. What about Prop. 8, which defined marriage as it had been for thousands of years before the gay lobby took over the state? It passed handily and was, of course, thrown out by a (gay) liberal judge. So the very Constitution of the state was amended, again by the overwhelming support of the people, yet this too has been struck down. I didn't hear liberals whining about these so-called "decisions." But now that their crazy scheme to further decimate the state economy and cripple businesses has been put on hold, the scream like stuck pigs. Remember, this is NOT against the will of the people, it is in SPITE of it. No one voted in cap-and-tax; this was the brainchild of the Socialist legislature and a governor who has always been a closet Democrat. But I have no doubt you libs will find a way around this minor obstacle (like the fact it's illegal) to eventually get what you want. Crazy!

[JustAGuy]

This is NOT judicial activism. The judge is basically saying the Air Resources Board performed inadiquate analysis and was bumrushing their Global Warming agenda without proper input and consent by the public.

All the Air Resources Board have to do is to go back and do their proper work. And this whole notion of an attack on poor neighborhoods is nonsense! Carson and Wilmington have been near refineries for many DECADES!!!!! In actuality, in the 1970's Carson went on a building spurt where they put homes closer and closer to the refineries which were already there!

[reasonableman]

Sad. Very sad. It's almost as though the judge is acting like a doctor trying to determine which method of suicide is better for his patient, gunshot or poison. Either method of reducing life-supporting carbon dioxide from the atmosphere of California will, in the end, not effect the overall temperature of the earth by so much as a tenth of a degree over the next century, but it will complete the economic suicide of a formerly powerhouse economy that once led the United States in economic growth and the ethos of individual liberty.

Mired in intractable debt, overrun with massive numbers of low-skilled, poorly educated and public resource consuming illegal immigrants, as icing on the cake, California has decided to "lead the country" with an economic suicide pact to solve a non-existent problem to mollify an entrenched private lobby and public bureaucracy of Gaia-worshipping know-nothings.

Once upon a time, I lived there with you. Sorry to see this tragedy play out. I hope your eventual transition and return to rational deision-making will not be preceded by the violence and upheaval that usually accompanies the disintegration of a large economy and social system. Good luck.

[Woodwose]

You wake up in the morning, read this headline, and you think "Thank God, a bit of sanity is restored to the world." Even if you completely and naively swallow the mantra of the environmentalists that global warming is real, caused by man, and the most catastrophic thing that could ever happen to our planet, finally someone realizes that impoverishing the citizens of California is not the best way to go about dealing with the problem.

And you even see that the article has already been commented on by a couple of soft-headed lefties bemoaning "corrupt corporate interests" for buying off the judge who issued the injunction against the program.

Ah but if you actually read the whole article, as I did, your heart will sink as you see that the reason the injunction was issued was that even more radical and extreme environmental groups sued because the program does not do enough to drive us into grinding poverty quickly enough. California's Global Warming program is just not insane enough. Why under this program, evil corporations can continue to spew out CO2 if they pass carbon taxes and fees along to the their consumers! These groups want to be able to just shut them down for good!

When will environmentalists learn that no one cares about the planet if they are living in abject poverty? Only wealthy societies have the leisure and the intellectual detachment of not spending their entire waking existence worrying about their next meal to give a crap about the environment. Only wealthy societies have the means to really do something about the problem. And not every problem HAS to be resolved this SECOND.

If you destroy California and reduce it's citizens to low-carbon generating serfs, you're not going to solve the problem, no matter how good it makes some environmentalist feel.

[Drew]

Rather than rather stupid attempts to legislate a problem away (as this lame climate change law attempts), why not take the far cheaper and prettier option of just replanting (around the world and locally) the zillions of trees that have been chopped down. There are all sorts of benefits to this and little downside.

[scott]

marconi,
the "people" did not vote to implement cap and trade in california, the "people" voted to keep in place AB-32 without understanding what regulations would be developed because of this law. The only thing stated in the anti prop 23 ads stated was that "big oil" would take over the state and polute california.CARB, Arnold and the usual suspect environmental groups that depend on regulations to survive failed to mention that the "big oil" was outspent by millions in the campaign.
CARB regulators have a history of creating "facts or studies" to support the regulation they wish to enact

[Cognipak]

If a person misspeaks and puts his/her foot in their mouth, is that considered as being a CARBON FOOTPRINT?

[Chad]

I'm amused by Leftists like Marconi who view a judicial ruling as "activism" and excuse activism as fairness. Though since he's also of the ilk that confuse special rights for equality it's forgivable.

As for this ruling, it's partial good news for California that this job-killing initiative is on hold. It'll be better news when California listens to the over 30,000 earth scientists who have made it clear that man-made global warming is a hoax and abandons this scheme.

I'm not too hopeful though as too many willing accomplices have let people like Gore make hundreds of millions of dollars on blatant fear mongering.

[James Benoit]

Just when the State of California has climbed up on a chair, homemade noose securely fastened around it's neck - ready to "kick free" and commit economic suicide - a sensible judge drags it back from the abyss.

How stupid is it to adopt a non-solution for a non-problem that will only accelerate California's slide into bankruptcy?

News Flash Cali: No other economically viable state is going to join you in this MADNESS. You can adopt "wannabe Euro-policies," but that doesn't make you "Continental."

Red China is LAUGHING at American/California enviro-wackos -the Chinese are building HUNDREDS of coal fired electric plants - and you can CUT the air in Bejiing with a steak knife and THEY DON'T CARE. India isn't "on board" either.

California has HUGE problems - exacerbating them with "cap & trade" to make Al Gore and his hedge fund buddies RICHER is dumb.

[CBO]

We actually have a judge with common sense in California! That is shocking.

[Joseph]

This judge should not have intervened to save the economy of California since the sooner it totally collapses the sooner the people responsible can be brought to justice. Anti-reality left-wing lunatics need to be held accountable for what they do.

[Jay Davis]

Man caused global warming (AGW) is a hoax. CO2 is required by green plants in photosynthesis. It's time we stop this nonsense and concentrate on real pollutants.

[Frank]

Regardless of how one feels about the law where does the Air Resources Board get off continuing to implement a law that a court has ordered stopped? We have our federal government disobeying two court orders, one on health care the other on off shore drilling, and now we have a state ignoring the courts. The most lawless administration in US history.

[Woofie]

Doug | March 21, 2011 at 10:52 PM

Doug, have you filled up your gas tank lately? This cap-and-trade approach will cause high fuel prices to climb even higher based on a theory that has yet to be proven.

Kudo's to Judge Goldsmith for seeing through the smokescreen....Oh BTW, this all goes back to General Electric, they'll benefit most from this.

[musicman]

Wow, some one in Cali actually has common sense. This bill would have put huge burdens on an already over taxed, fee'd, regulated, and mandated business sector. Man made "global warming" has not been proven. The fact that certain scientists had to use manipulated data to base their findings on show an agenda. A leftist agenda of wealth redistribution. Cap and tax solves nothing except to take more of our tax money to fill the huge deficit caused by the reckless spending of a 30+ year liberal dominated state legislature. A corrupt agenda that has allowed state worker unions to rape taxpayers with outrageous pensions and bennies that we can no longer afford. Corruption that has allowed millions of illegals to reap benefits they should not qualify for, that costs the taxpayers billions.
Hey Doug, enough with the "evil corporation" mentality. This bill hurts all businesses and taxpayers alike. WE CAN'T AFFORD any more of this leftist/Marxist/socialist policy, it's breaking our economic backs. But perhaps that's what you want, right comrade?

[Txsailor]

I hope the appeal is successful. It is downright humorous how CA's economy is imploding from over-regulation and the dumbarses are begging for more. Go figure! These people deserve all the taxes that are due them.

God willing, the rest of America will not have to pay for their stupidity!

[TIRM]

Hey Moron Marconi and Moron Doug. Read the article. The lawsuit was made by environmental groups complaining about the law. The judge agreed with them and put the law on hold. The right had nothing to do with this. This is just another example of how incompetant the left is with anything.

[Roxanna]

Anthropogenic global warming is a hoax. Environmentalists are always wrong. Truth is simple. It's the lies that are complex. The California economy is in real trouble, and this cap-and-trade garbage would only make it worse. Why does the left have such a hard time dealing with reality? I know it's fun to live in fantasies, but grow up and get over it.

[spike]

no, Doug, this is NOT an example of 'the corporate takeover of our courts', DailyKos talking points notwithstanding; rather, it is the court saying, "wait a minute, maybe it's time to put the brakes on a small group of career bureaucrats dictating to the rest of us'

[Shawn]

Cap and trade in the state of California was "the will of th people"??

And then you link it to "gay rights"?

Wow. Put your tinfoil hat back on.

A San Francisco judge did this? I think I just felt a planetary pole shift.

The poor guy better stand by for the "civility" of the "progressives."

Death threats and assaults on his private property are sure to follow.

[AB32 supporter of the past]

I was deeply involved in AB32.

It is interesting to see the picture of the "evil oil" processing plant.

The real problem is that California burns 12% of the worlds oil every day in our cars.

And Carpooling is a very dirty word in government circles.

If we were able to have an honest conversation about Global Warming, then certainly carpooling would be a priority.

Instead, they need to tax us on our cars and put up barriers to carpooling like takeover of carpool lane for toll roads.

So, after traveling to Sacramento about a dozen times to participate in AB32, I realized that it is really a scam.

There is no intention to reduce our use of fossil fuels...just to create more taxes to cover the ever increasing costs of our over bloated state government.

[charlio]

Isn't Gov. Brown's ownership of substantial oil resources worthy of mention?

[Thatguy]

"The legislators carefully considered and passed this law" -- and the people of their state voted them out for being so inept.

[We Are Change Windsor]

GLOBAL WARMING IS A COMPLETE FRAUD!

Just do a bit of research on "ClimateGate". The public release of 10 000 emails, from the #1 research facility and funded by the UN, called the Climactic Research Unit or CRU at the University of East Anglia. Where they admitted to falsifying data in order to "Hide the Decline". They admitted that there has not been any warming since 1995. More than 2/3 rds of the scientist that they are saying support their "Peer Reviewed Studies" is a complete lie and have openly spoke out against the idea of CO2 negatively effecting our climate.

If you do a little more research you will see the 99.8% of all climate and weather is controlled by THE SUN!!!! Solar radiation and lunar gravity is what drives the climate. This is a global ponzi scheme, devised by Ken Lay of Enron scheme.

More nuclear power is NOT the answer. Clean Coal technology IS! We have enough coal to power this planet for a 1000 years.

[willys36]

Too bad. Just a couple decades ago this was the greatest state in the greatest country in the history of the world and it's been thrown away. Be interesting to see how the Marxists establish an illegal alien based economy. Kalif will be requesting foreign aid from Europe to stave off pervasive hunger soon.

[TobyRaider]

Hey California, I see you STILL don't get it. You will do ANYTHING to kill business and crush the free market, even if it means laws against.... *gasp*... smoke.

Global warming is a hoax, and it won't be long before your state goes bankrupt. I promise you this however, I will fight until my last breath to keep the Federal Government from giving a single dime to any state after their "green initiatives" and "social justice programs" broke their backs. (Ask Spain how it's working out for them)....

[vladimir]

At last a judge gets it right. This is a judge that uses the law to make rulings not some politically correct trash that a bunch of political humps dreamed up.

[stop2think]

I have to laugh at the morons who are miffed at this judge. They just cannot wait until government puts the shackles on them and their employers. AGW is a joke and a farce to take control of people's lives. Hey greenies, here is a clue. If you are so eager to reduce your carbon footprint to that of a toad, first give up the PC that is powered by electricity and send your message via the banging of coconuts. See where that gets you. I have never met a more severe, humorless, and retro-thinking group than the greens. The only country that had extremely low pollutants is North Korea. And look how wonderful their lives are. COMPLETE IDIOTS. WAKE UP

[mel]

This global warming issue takes a natural event and ties a human cause to it in order to separate dollars from your pocket into theirs. They are intentionally misleading people by using half truths and flawed science to facilitate greater Government control over your lives and mine. This is not the will of the people as stated by Marconi; this is the will and greed of a few being shoved down the throats of the many by a dictatorial state assembly, lunatic Governor and the willing lemmings that will follow anything that sounds good.

[Robert]

Homosexuals have equal rights Marconi. This story is about the Air Resources Board intentionally misrepresenting data and alternatives to it's cap and trade program. California is broke and filled with partisan morons who can not take care of themselves. Keep making business more expensive and you'll drive away what little tax base you have.