Schwarzenegger takes center stage on warming

Other plans and obstacles
If re-elected, Schwarzenegger said he would seek legislation to protect the state’s coastline in the face of rising ocean levels. He also wants to shore up the state’s vulnerable drinking water supplies by building more reservoirs.

But California’s global warming strategy already faces legal hurdles. Federal lawsuits related to greenhouse gas issues involving California, Vermont and Massachusetts could threaten California’s ability to meet its goals.

Earlier this week, a federal judge in Fresno ruled that a coalition of automakers could pursue its lawsuit against the state for forcing them to cut tailpipe emissions.

Even so, Massachusetts and 11 other states, including California, continue to challenge the Bush administration’s decision not to regulate heat-trapping carbon dioxide as a pollutant. The case is before the U.S. Supreme Court.

“That is the idea — to let enough states join the movement that eventually the federal government will say, ’I think we should also join here.’ I have great hope for that,” Schwarzenegger said.

Three bills become law
On Tuesday, Schwarzenegger signed three bills also aimed at curtailing pollution contributing to global warming.

One of the bills requires California’s investor-owned utilities to generate 20 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2010, instead of 2017 as previously required by state law.

The second bill requires the California Energy Commission to draft studies for capturing and storing carbon dioxide produced by industry, and the third bill would allow the state to consider making the acquisition of forest land a priority to help capture carbon dioxide.

“The science is clear. The global warming debate is over,” Schwarzenegger said in a statement.

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