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posted by martyb on Sunday September 11 2016, @04:12PM   Printer-friendly
from the setting-the-pace-for-usa dept.

Southern California Public Radio (KPCC-FM) reports

California will now be the nation's example for reducing climate change after Governor Jerry Brown signed sweeping legislation [September 8] that will require the Golden State to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 40 percent below the 1990 levels by the year 2030. The law replaces a previous bill signed by then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger which required the state to be at 1990 emissions levels by the year 2020.

The law, SB 32 [1] also gives more authority to California's Air Resources Board to regulate emissions. A separate law the governor also signed yesterday gives lawmakers more power over that board.

[...] The Germans have a tougher target of 55 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. [California's is] the same level of ambition as the EU as a whole.

[...] The governor had tried to slip into this bill a late amendment authorizing the extension of cap-and-trade but that was rejected by lawmakers and instead the bill is silent. However, the bill could be an important cudgel for Brown in trying to negotiate an extension of cap-and-trade.

[...] implications of the law on employment in Southern California [...] The state, since the end of the recession, has been growing jobs at a 50 percent faster rate than the nation as a whole. There are studies showing that the renewable standards have created 30,000 jobs in some of the hardest hit rural areas of the state.

[1] Main content is behind a script. archive.li handles that.


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  • (Score: 2, Informative) by khallow on Sunday September 11 2016, @08:22PM

    by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Sunday September 11 2016, @08:22PM (#400379) Journal
    It'll be quite the object lesson then, won't it when California goes down in flames?

    Let us note [stlouisfed.org] that Texas increased in real GDP from 1997 to 2015 from $613 billion to $1,586 billion. Meanwhile California increased from $1,342 billion to $2,207 billion. Among other things, that is a larger absolute increase in GDP for Texas than California managed over an almost two decade period! I think that puts your three quarter (not annual!) change into perspective. Twenty more years like that in relative growth and Texas will have a larger economy!

    Also, while California would place as the sixth largest economy in the world just ahead of France, Texas would place as the tenth largest just ahead of Canada. It's not far behind right now. Florida would be 16th place, ahead of Indonesia.

    Let's look at employment. In June, 1996 [bls.gov], California had an estimated 15.4 million employed. That went up to almost 16.5 million employed in June, 2016. Texas went from 9.6 million to 12.0 million over the same period. Again, more absolute increase in employment over the last two decades.

    Notice the pattern here. The writer saying that the criticism of California is bunk, used three quarters of a year as economic evidence. While if we look at evidence from a much longer period, we see a remarkable slowdown in California's economy compared to twenty years ago coupled with surging growth (which just in absolute terms, starting from a smaller economic base, beats California) from Texas with very different attitudes concerning business and regulation.

    There is a saying which applies here: Rome didn't fall in a day. California with all its burdens can yet still grow today. But bad decisions continue. What will happen in twenty years when Texas is the biggest economy by state and California still cripples its businesses with ever growing nonsense? Will they stay then? I think we already have seen the start of a massive exodus from California. At some point, it'll reach critical mass and there won't be a point, for a lot of industries to stay in California. That includes the high tech industries.

    I think in a generation we will see the end of the California miracle.
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  • (Score: 2) by Reziac on Monday September 12 2016, @02:47AM

    by Reziac (2489) on Monday September 12 2016, @02:47AM (#400472) Homepage

    Rather more interesting is state debt:
    http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/state_debt_rank [usgovernmentspending.com]

    and I vaguely recall that CA's credit rating had sunk to "C".

    --
    And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.