Will Prop. 23 Create Jobs?

Transcript

WITH THE NOVEMBER ELECTION FIVE WEEKS AWAY, PEOPLE ARE BOMBARDED WITH ADS TELLING THEM HOW TO VOTE. FIGURING OUT WHAT IS ACCURATE AND NOT IS A DIFFICULT TASK. PROP 23 IS NOT DIFFERENT. PROPONENTS SAID IT WILL CREATE JOB IN CALIFORNIA WHILE OPPONENTS SAY IT WILL KILL JOBS. HERE TO TELL US WHAT IS GOING ON IS KPBS ENVIRONMENT REPORTER ED JOYCE. GLAD YOU COULD BE WITH US.

GLAD TO BE HERE.

FIRST OF ALL, WHAT WOULD IT DO?

SUSPEND THE STATE'S GLOBAL WARMING SOLUTIONS ACT OR GREENHOUSE EMISSIONS REGULATIONS AND UNTIL THE STATE'S UNEMPLOYMENT RATE DROPPED TO 5.5% FOR FOUR COME CONSECUTIVE QUARTERS.

WHAT IS THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE NOW?

OVER 12% NOW.

SO IT WOULD HAVE HAVE TO DROP TO 5.5%.

FOR A WHOLE YEAR. INCREDIBLY LOW RATE.

IT WOULD. LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS JOB CREATION VERSUS JOB DESTRUCTION. HOW WOULD SUSPENDING CALIFORNIA'S GREENHOUSE EMISSIONS LAW CREATE MORE JOBS?

PROPONENTS SAID WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF THIS LAW ROLLS INTO FULL FORCE IS IT WILL HURT THE JOB MARKET BECAUSE COMPANIES WILL HAVE TO SPEND MONEY TO MEET THESE REGULATIONS BECAUSE OF THOSE ADDITIONAL COSTS. IT'S ASSUMED BY A STUDY THAT WAS DONE BY THE PROPONENT THAT PEOPLE WOULD BE LAID OFF SO CREATE A JOB LOSS SITUATION.

ALL RIGHT, GIVE ME A LITTLE EXAMPLE OF WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT. WHAT'S ONE INDUSTRY THAT MIGHT LAY OFF WORKERS BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO ABIDE WITH NEW REGULAR LAYINGS.

LET'S SAY A POWER PLANT HAS TO CREATE SOME EMISSIONS CONTROL DEVICES TO RESTRICT AND REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS. THE COST OF THAT MIGHT BORNE BY THEM LAYING OFF SOME WORKERS TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.

IT GO. I UNDERSTAND. SO WHO'S BEHIND PROP 23?

THE MAJOR FUNDERS ARE TWO OIL COMPANIES IN TEXAS, TESORO AND BOLERO. THEY PAY CALIFORNIA TAXES AND EMPLOY PEOPLE IN CALIFORNIA BUT THEY HAVE BEEN CASTIGATED.

WHY WOULD THEY BE BEHIND A MEASURE LIKE THIS? HOW WOULD IT BENEFIT THEM? BLUFF TO LOOK AT THE REGULATION THEMSELVES. THE IDEA IS TO MOVE TO ALTERNATIVE FUELS TO GET FROM FOSSIL FUELS, DIRTY ENERGY, AS IT IS CALLED. THE OIL COMPANIES TURN THE OIL TO GAS.

LET'S TURN IT TO THE OTHER SIDE. THE OPPONENTS TO PROP 23 SAY IT WILL KILL JOBS. HOW WILL IT KILL JOB?

A.B. 32 SPURRED INNOVATION AND GREEN TECH AND INVESTMENT --CLEAN TECH SAN DIEGO IS AROUND THE IDEA AND BIOFUELS --WHILE THEY SAID WITHOUT THESE INCENTIVES THE CALIFORNIA STANDARDS WOULD ENFORCE, WITHOUT THESE STANDARDS, IT WILL HINDER THAT INNOVATION, THE JOB CREATION WON'T HAPPEN.

WHY IS THIS A PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT THING TO SAN DIEGO? IT'S A STATE-WIDE MEASURE.

WE HAVE A GROWING CLEAN TECH INDUSTRY HERE AND A LOT IS DRIVEN BY THE STANDARDS, WHICH WOULD REQUIRE PUBLIC UTILITIES, FOR EXAMPLE, TO GET A PERCENTAGE OF ELECTRICITY FROM BIOFUELS AND SO CON WIND AS WELL.

I KNOW THAT JERRY BROWN IS RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR AND IS OPPOSE TO 23, AND JUST YESTERDAY, REPUBLICAN GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE WHITMAN CAME OUT AGAINST IT. THERE'S AN INTERESTING STORY BEHIND THAT.

GEORGE SCHULTZ, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE UNDER PRESIDENT REAGAN, CHAIRS THE NO ON 23 CAMPAIGN AND CHAIRS WHITMAN'S GUBERNATORIAL CAMPAIGN. WHITMAN SAID SHE WOULD SUSPEND A.B. 32 IF SHE BECAME GOVERNOR. JERRY BROWN HAD ASKED HER TO HAVE MORE OF A STANCE ON PROP 23 AND THIS WEEK SHE CAME OUT AGAINST PROP 23.

OKAY. WELL, THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME REPUBLICAN THAT AREN'T HAPPY WITH HER ON THIS ONE.

THAT'S TRUE, A LOT OF TAXPAYER GROUPS.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU, GLORIA.