Thursday, September 14, 2006

California Environmental Laws

This is a very informative article in the New York Times about the new law on reducing greenhouse emissions by 25% and other environmental laws here in California.

This is the state that in the early 1970s jump-started the worldwide adoption of catalytic converters, the devices that neutralize most smog-forming chemicals emitted by tailpipes. This is the state whose per capita energy consumption has been almost flat for 30 years, even as per capita consumption has risen 50 percent nationally.

I think this is a good idea. California has always been the leader in environmental issues in the US and with the clout as the most populous state in the country, industry has to follow the new guidelines if they want to be in the California Market. This makes California a good test case for this country for this type of regulation to see if it is effective in decreasing greenhouse gases without hurting the economy.

Perhaps the most ambitious measure California has undertaken is the newly mandated 25 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. If we do it right, Mr. Schwarzenegger said at a news conference, it can be an example for the rest of the world and the rest of the country to see. If not, the concept could be discredited.

If California of all places can't pull it off than no one can. I think this new law has a side effect of helping the reputation of the US after we pulled out of the Kyoto Protocol. After all action speaks louder than signed treaties.

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