Global Warming Bill Represents A Quandary For Shwarzenegger

"This month, the Democrats who hold a majority in California's Legislature plan to send Schwarzenegger a bill, AB 32, by co-authors Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez and premier environmental legislator, Fran Pavley, that would create the country's first law capping greenhouse gas emissions from industrial sources."

"The Republican governor now faces a dilemma that threatens to undermine his environmental credentials at the same time he is trying appeal to moderate voters as he seeks re-election."

"For Schwarzenegger, the bill requires a delicate balancing act. Signing it would help burnish his environmental image but also could alienate the state's business community, a key supporter."

"Democrats say they are taking Schwarzenegger's cue and putting his ceremonial orders into law (see link to "CA & Britain sign accord") by targeting the state's largest emitters of carbon dioxide, such as power plants, oil refineries and the cement industry. They say caps on those industries, coupled with Fran Pavley's 2004 law restricting auto emissions, would achieve the governor's goals."