Prop 23 con

By Jose TorresThe Guardsman

Proposition 23 threatens to destroy the commitment we, as Californians, forged with the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, also known as AB32.

Proposition 23 calls for a halt in caps and requirements put forth by AB32.  If passed it will kill California’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas levels by 2020, to what they were in 1990 .

Do you think big polluters should be fined if they break current regulations? Shouldn’t gross polluters have to file emissions reports?  AB32 requires it.

Global warming is a gargantuan issue that cannot be ignored. Earlier this year, The United Nations Environment Programme released a report where nine leading research centers were commissioned to study the problem in-depth.  The conclusion was that countries must make “aggressive pledges” to curb the issue.

AB32 is a perfect example of thinking unconventionally and starting to work towards a solution.

Proposition 23 states that its longevity will be determined by California’s unemployment rate. Until the rate remains at or lower than 5.5 percent for a continuous year, the bill will stay in effect. But this has only occurred three times since 1980.

With its $4 million contribution, the largest financial supporter of the bill is the oil company Valero, which according to The Political Economic Institute, ranks 28th among airborne polluters in the United States.

Oil companies are notorious for large scale disasters like the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, and the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico earlier this year.

These companies are after a fast and easy profit. They see Proposition 23 for what it really is: a loophole through which environmental restrictions will be lifted.

The requirements set by AB32 need to be in place for the long haul.  It is up to us to show our backbone and vote this bill down.