BC premier praises California on climate change
Cathy Bussewitz
San Francisco Chronicle
08/12/2010
The premier of British Columbia stressed the link between environmental legislation and economic opportunity in an address to California lawmakers on Thursday.
Premier Gordon Campbell said California has played an important role in creating policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He addressed the state Assembly and Senate separately.
"You've done so much to create hope, to act on this issue so that you have a future of a clean, healthy environment that generates jobs and opportunities across your communities," Campbell said.
Campbell's comments came as California voters are considering Proposition 23, an initiative on the November ballot that would suspend the law's implementation until the unemployment rate drops to 5.5 percent and stays there for a year. Supporters of Prop. 23 say the global warming law would cost California businesses billions of dollars, leading to jobs losses.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has said that implementation of AB32 would lead to new jobs in the green technology sector.
Campbell did not address the proposition directly, but he said that as his province has adopted environmental policies its economy has strengthened.
Campbell said the state's 2006 global warming law created a foundation for the rest of the continent.
British Columbia is one of four Canadian provinces that joined seven western states to form the Western Climate Initiative. The coalition's goal is to control greenhouse gas emissions and to create a "cap-and-trade" system that would give financial incentives to reduce emissions.
