Oil companies funding ballot initiative to delay enforcement of AB 32
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The San Diego Source: Voters may soon have an opportunity to decide whether to suspend enforcement of California's clean energy law until the state's economy recovers. Passed in 2006, Assembly Bill 32 directs the California Air Resources Board to design and enforce regulations that will reduce emissions and curb global warming. If passed by voters in November, the California Jobs Initiative would suspend AB 32 until the state's unemployment rate drops below 5.5 percent for four consecutive quarters. The state's unemployment rate as of January was 12.5 percent and unemployment has not fallen below 5.5 percent since July 2007, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Proponents of the initiative say AB 32 will kill 1 million jobs in California. The legislation also clears the way for a cap-and-trade policy that would impose new taxes, estimated at $50,000 for the average small business and nearly $4,000 for the average family, said Eric Eisenhammer, a spokesman for the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, which supports the measure. Opponents argue AB 32 creates jobs, particularly in the clean technology sector, which is currently the bright spot in the state's economy. In the past year, the industry added 10 times more jobs than in any other statewide, said Bernadette del Chiaro, a spokeswoman for nonprofit agency Environment California.
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