Tracking emissions, image by Travel maniaOPINION – A new proposal nearing passage in the Legislature threatens the delicate balance of consensus between environmentalists and the business community. Senate Bill SB 253 would place significant new burdens on businesses – including medium and small businesses – without removing a single molecule of carbon dioxide or other climate pollutants from the atmosphere.
Via ShutterstockOPINION – This year, the California business community has found itself in an untenable—and frankly, bizarre—position of being out of compliance with regulations that do not yet exist. How did we get here?
The state Capitol i9n Sacramento. (Photo: Susanne Pommer, via Shutterstock)OPINION: The California Legislature is currently more progressive than ever before, and the business community is adjusting its strategy in Sacramento accordingly. California has long been home to an extraordinarily active Legislature that routinely passes laws with significant and far-reaching impacts on businesses throughout the state, as well as national and international businesses, most of which have an economic interest in the world’s fifth-largest economy.
Board of Equalization Chair Jerome Horton chats with colleague Diane Harkey in the Capitol. (Photo: AP/Rich Pedroncelli)Whether you liked it or not, the state Board of Equalization successfully blocked a gas tax increase. This saved Californians 4-cents-a-gallon at the pump, but handed Gov. Jerry Brown and lawmakers a $617 million hole in the state budget. What caused this rather dramatic policy move? I keep being drawn to the extraordinary events surrounding the 2011 redistricting of the BOE, which has four directly elected members.
The power plant in El Segundo, Calif. (Photo: Don Solomon, via Shutterstock)OPINION: One of California’s tools in fighting climate change and promoting clean air is the emissions reduction program known as cap and trade. Cap and trade is one part of California’s broader approach to growing clean energy jobs and investment — and it works best in concert with the state’s full suite of policies.