Imperial Valley News

Sacramento, California - Plan Will Protect Environment, Public Health and Spur Economy - Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger issued the below statement following the California Air Resources Board's (CARB) adoption of its scoping plan that lays out how California will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020:

"Adoption of the AB 32 scoping plan is a great moment for California's environment and for our economy, and it also provides a roadmap for the rest of the nation to follow. When you look at today's depressed economy, green tech is one of the few bright spots out there, which is yet another reason we should move forward on our environmental goals. Estimates show that California's environmental policies will create hundreds of thousands of jobs and increase economic production by the billions. Today is the day we help unleash the full force of California's innovation and technology for a healthier planet, a stronger and more robust economy and a safer and more secure energy future."

California's push to increase renewable energy and fight climate change will also boost our economy. According to an economic study released in October by the University of California at Berkeley and Next 10, California's policies will create as many as 403,000 jobs in the next 12 years and household incomes will increase by $48 billion. Also in October, the U.S. Conference of Mayors released its Green Jobs Index which projected 4.2 million jobs by 2038 in the emerging green technology sector, with more than 500,000 of those jobs in California.