MNN - Mother Nature Network

Although some members of Congress will be fighting for every vote they can get during next month’s midterm elections, there are also some big issues on state ballots. One of the most prominent eco issues that will be decided next month is California’s Prop 23.

 

California Prop 23 would essentially put a hold on the already passed AB 32 legislation until the unemployment rate drops to 5.5 percent and stays there for four consecutive quarters. Unfortunately, putting a hold on AB 32 could quite possibly derail California’s growing green jobs movement.

 

Green jobs advocate Van Jones discussed this issue during a recent interview with New America Media editor Ngoc Nguyen. Here is an excerpt from the interview:

The supporters of Prop. 23 say AB 32 is a jobs killer – is that true? Would Prop. 23 be better for the state’s economy?

In California, there’s always one ballot measure that does the opposite of what it says and that is this one. AB 32 is a jobs creator. Half a million people are working in California right now in clean tech and clean energy fields, because of the leadership that California’s legislature has shown. That’s the truth. And all this is is Texas oil money trying to knock out Silicon Valley as a competitor for the energy future in America. That’s all it is. If this were really about jobs in California…Californians would be putting money [into the proposition]. All the money here is coming from Texas.  Source: Carib Press

Jones goes on to compare the number of Americans working in the clean energy industry to those employed in the coal industry, what may happen if the bill fails but the future governor puts a one year hold on AB 32, and the strong support of Prop 23 by the Texas oil industry.