| What Arnold says about the Environment |
What ArnoldWatch sees |
| "I will fight for the environment. Nothing to worry about." Time Magazine 8/18/03 |
More campaign contributions from developers, builders and construction interests than any other special interest group.
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| "Breathing clean healthy air is a right of all Californians" |
Vetoed AB 2042, which would have prohibited air pollution at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles from exceeding baseline levels |
| "healthy forests are a birthright of every Californian" |
a. During the budget debate Arnold proposed loosening logging regulatory oversight leading to less review of logging planning and environmental impact, making it easier to get approval to thin our forests.
b. He proposes cutting back forest protections allowing some timber companies logging plans of infinite duration and size.
c. Has received $92,230 from lumber and logging companies
d. Schwarzenegger´s administration has failed to defend a national conservation ruling by former President Clinton that protects 58.5 million acres from road building and commercial logging. |
| "I will direct all appropriate state agencies to accelerate the use of the cleanest vehicles commercially available to meet the states transportation needs." |
Hipocracy at it´s finest, for years Schwarzenegger has driven a gas devouring Hummer, one of the most environmentally unfriendly vehicles available. Furthermore he has taken $651,100 from oil interests. At a recent press conference to introduce his new hydrogen Hummer, Arnold drove up pumped hydrogen into the GM built vehicle ( even though nothing came from the pump), made a statement and then drove away in a gas guzzling SUV. |
| "The special interests are fighting us, we have to show them once and for all that you are the ones who have the power, not the special interests" |
Apparently the governor doesn't feel the need to fight back, in fact he´s done just the opposite, he´s appointed several anti-environment industry executives to government posts. Here´s a short list:
-James Branham- former Pacific Lumber executive was appointed as Cal-EPA Undersecretary
-Jackalyne Pfannenstiel- former PG & E executive was named environmental advocate at the energy commission
-Maureen Gorsen- former LA lawyer who counseled corporations and developers on how to avoid environmental laws was appointed as Cal-EPA Deputy Secretary
-Ruthann Schulte- former Environmental Stewardship Director of the Pacific Lumber Co. was appointed advisor to the Cal Integrated Waste Management Board |
| "The future health of California´s environment and economy depend on our taking action now." |
Arnold´s idea of action was to support Prop 64 which gutted one of the strongest environmental and consumer protection laws in the country. It was opposed by virtaully every state and national environmental group including the Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters. This Law was used to keep oil companies from polluting groundwater. |
| "Sustainable environmental planning must include land use policies that promote "smart growth"...working with local officials and other interested stakeholders, my administration will an Infill Incentives Package to...spur smarter development...allowing cities to accomodate locally desirable mixed use, compact development and urban infill growth, while curtailing sprawl." (from his Action Plan for California's Environment", 2003) |
Since taking office Schwarzenegger has ignored implementation of state law (AB 857, 2002) that requires state agencies to promote smart growth. He signaled in his 2005 State of the State address that environmental law needs to be rolled back to allow more housing to be built faster. He has had his staff draft legislation that, if not gut, would seriously harm the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in favor of developers at the expense of public input and local government prerogative. |
