The Governator | Green Energy News

October 5, 2003 – Vol.8 No.28

THE GOVERNATOR.

Contrary to the fact that he drives a gas-gulping Hummer, the new governor of the world’s fifth largest economy may be a fairly green guy. But still has questions to answer.

Schwarzenegger has gone on record (through the official campaign website) as supporting, and actually toughening, the state’s renewable portfolio standard (RPS) by moving up the compliance date when 20 percent California’s electricity would come from renewables to 2010, from the current 2017.

He has also said he will create tax incentives for the installation of more solar power with the goal of having half the new homes built in the state include solar electric systems.

He supports the development of a hydrogen fueling infrastructure for vehicles.

He supports the extension of tax credits for businesses that install on-site renewable energy systems.

He wants to cut air pollution in half.

He has also said he will fight to keep California’s efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. In the campaign he was quoted as saying, - “California’s landmark legislation to cut greenhouse gases is now law, and I will work to implement it and to win the expected challenges in court along the way.”

But he has not said whether has agreed with the decision by outgoing Governor Gray Davis to join other states in suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over its refusal to regulate carbon dioxide under the Clean Air Act. Although the reason Schwarzenegger may not have commented on the Davis decision is that it came only four days before the October 7 election.

Still, Schwarzenegger has questions to answer. What was said at a closed gathering he attended on May 17, 2001 at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills organized as “an insider’s conversation of what’s going on with the energy situation “ by the then-solvent Enron Corporation?

Speculation is that the outcome of the meeting was that Governor Davis, and Lt. Governor Cruz Bustamante, should be removed from office to prevent a lawsuit filed by Bustamante from moving forward. The lawsuit demands that $9 billion in overcharges to California rate payers be recovered from Enron and others. Of course Enron went bankrupt later that year and Davis was reelected.

Further, Davis has been in an on-going discussion with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to get them to force the overcharging companies to repay California rate payers. And, the Bustamante lawsuit to recover the billions, according to news reports, is solid and would win in court. But will the Governator continue the conversation with FERC to recover the $9 billion, which is more than the current budget deficit of the state?

Politically, battling Terminator-style for the recovery of the money might insure Schwarzenegger the lead role in Governator II, if he decides to pursue a second term. Otherwise, backing away and dropping the action could be a problem for Schwarzenegger now and later.

Greg Palast, an investigative reporter, along with the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR) recovered the 34 pages of documents from Enron regarding the meeting. Palast coined the term Governator. Visit the FTCR at http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/ ,Greg Palast at http://www.gregpalast.com/ and the Schwarzenegger energy and environmental statement at http://www.joinarnold.com/en/agenda/#c1