Schwarzenegger does it to us again…
A while back, I posted the air quality maps from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and pointed out that Alameda, especially the East End, is right in the thick of things in terms of high levels of Particulate Matter (PM 2.5).
SB974 would have imposed fees at the ports that would have been used to mitigate the air quality issues created near California’s Ports.
However according the San Mateo County Times:
A bill that would’ve raised as much as $300 million a year to fight air pollution around the ports of Oakland, Long Beach and Los Angeles was among Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s last-minute vetoes Tuesday.
Republican vice-presidential nominee and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin had asked Schwarzenegger last month to veto this bill, fearing it would increase the cost of goods shipped through California ports to Alaska. Now some critics see a political motive, a kowtow to big business or both behind Schwarzenegger’s action.
Maybe it’s because this region of the state didn’t vote for him, but it sure would nice to have a Governor who looked out for the Bay Area’s interests.
On a not even close to related note:
Check out Michael Pollan, Author of the Ominvore’s Dilemma, Sunday, October 19th at Auctions by the Bay. It’s a fundraiser for the Alameda Library Foundation. and includes a slow food reception (not long lines at the buffet, locally grown organic foods). I’d also recommend reading his first book, Second Nature, which is a great meditation on the relationship between humans and the environment around us. By far one of my favorite books.
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