GREENHOUSE GAS BILL DIVIDES BUSINESSES FEAR EMISSION-REDUCTION PROGRAM WILL HURT MORE THAN HELP.Byline: HARRISON SHEPPARD Sacramento Bureau SACRAMENTO -- An effort to make California a leader in reducing greenhouse gases greenhouse gas n. Any of the atmospheric gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect. greenhouse gas is getting closer to passage, although opposition from business interests could mean significant political hurdles in the next two weeks. Assembly Bill 32 by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez and Assemblywoman as·sem·bly·wom·an n. A woman who is a member of a legislative assembly. Noun 1. assemblywoman - a woman assemblyman representative - a person who represents others Fran Pavley Fran Pavley is a Democratic politician and previously served as a California Assemblywoman and as the first mayor of the Southern California community of Agoura Hills. She served as a Mayor and Councilmember for four terms. , D-Agoura Hills, would set up a monitoring program for greenhouse gas emissions and seek to roll back emission levels by up to 25 percent by 2020. ``California would be the leader across the country in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions,'' said Nunez, D-Los Angeles. ``Once we adopt this legislation, other states will follow suit. The prospects for change across the nation are ultimately going to lead this country into doing what the states will do.'' But many businesses fear the bill will saddle them with unachievable goals and ultimately drive businesses away. ``AB 32 is a lose-lose for California. It will raise the price of electricity and gasoline even higher, hurt our state's global competitiveness, driving out businesses and jobs, and put our whole economy at risk for little to no benefit,'' said Allan Zaremberg, president of the California Chamber of Commerce. That presents a dilemma for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (German pronunciation (IPA): [ˈaɐ̯nɔlt ˈaloɪ̯s ˈʃvaɐ̯ʦənˌʔɛɡɐ] , a moderate Republican who has positioned himself as a friend of the environment but has also tried to improve the state's business climate. The emission goals in the bill mirror recommendations by the Climate Action that Team Schwarzenegger created last year. But groups like the chamber have been close political allies of the governor, who is facing a tough re-election fight this year. The administration is negotiating technical changes to the bill some environmentalists fear could weaken it. The bill calls for emissions levels to be reduced to 1990 levels by 2020, roughly estimated at 25 percent less than they are otherwise projected to be that year. The administration supports those targets but is looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. a ``safety valve'' mechanism that allows the date to be extended in case of unforeseen emergencies. ``We feel very strongly that a safety valve safety valve, device attached to a boiler or other vessel for automatically relieving the pressure of steam before it becomes great enough to cause bursting. of some sort is needed,'' said Linda Adams Linda Adams (born about 1950) is an English folk singer, and co-founder of "Fellside Records". Linda Adams was born in Cumbria. She rarely sings now, but is well represented on CD, on her own record label. , secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency The California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA) was created in 1991 by Governor Pete Wilson, through an executive order.[1] The agency combined six board, departments, and offices into one cabinet-level office:[2] Democrats say they don't necessarily object to the concept of a safety valve, but they are concerned about making sure it is difficult to activate, rather than something that responds to, for example, a slight dip in the economy. The administration is also seeking a state board to oversee the emissions monitoring and reduction program, in part because the bill affects a wide variety of industries and its responsibilities would overlap among several existing boards and agencies. Administration officials are negotiating over the composition of that board, with some legislators concerned it would be stacked with political appointees who report to the governor without sufficient independent voices or experts in climate change. The bill is currently in the Senate Appropriations Committee In the United States government, the Appropriations Committee can refer to either:
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