Wednesday, 09/27/2006 Print Version | Email / Share
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Signing Landmark Legislation to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
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MR. BENTON:
Good afternoon. My name is Andy Benton, and it is my privilege to serve as the President of Pepperdine University. We are pleased that Pepperdine, with its majestic views of both the Santa Monica Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, serves today as the host site of the signing of Assembly Bill 32, the historic California Global Warming Solutions Act.
Today joining us is Pepperdine’s good friend Zev Yaroslavsky. Would you please stand, Zev? He’s a great friend of Pepperdine and of the environment. Welcome Zev Yaroslavsky. (Applause)
Pepperdine proudly is situated in the home district of our friend, Assemblywoman Fran Pavley, who co-authored AB 32 with Speaker Núñez. Please stand, Fran. (Applause)
Her determination on our behalf and future generations is honored today.
We welcome all who are present today in supporting the Global Warming Solutions Act, all who view their roles as stewards of the environment, as a commitment worth keeping.
It is my privilege now to introduce the 38th Governor of the Golden State of California. His firm belief that economic prosperity and environmental health go hand-in-hand is a hallmark of his tenure in Sacramento. His commitment to a better future for all Californians, and especially California’s children, has earned respect and support from elected officials and citizens without regard for party affiliation. Please join me in welcoming the Honorable Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. (Applause)
GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER :
Thank you very much for the wonderful introduction. It’s great to be here at the Pepperdine University, and thank you so much to President Andy Benton for inviting us here to do this bill signing ceremony right here at this beautiful university. Thank you very much. We couldn’t have picked a better place. A big hand for your great leadership. Thank you very much. (Applause)
Before I talk about the bill signing and AB 32, I just want to say that, as you know, we have fires around 35 miles away from here in Ventura County. And I just want to say thank you to the brave firefighters for the extraordinary job they are doing, working day and night, 24 hours around the clock, trying to put out the fires. They are 42 percent contained now, and it is wonderful to see the federal government, the state and local agencies, all working together to put the fires out, so I want to thank them very much.
Now, it is great to see all of you here today at this very historic occasion. In a few minutes when I sign Assembly Bill 32 we will begin a bold new era of environmental protection here in the State of California that can change the course of history. Some of the great leaders have joined us here today to be part of this groundbreaking moment.
First of all, we have here Consul General Kazuo Kodama who is representing Prime Minister Koizumi. And he is going to read a statement today from Prime Minister Koizumi, so thank you very much for being here today, really appreciate it. Give him a big hand. (Applause)
Then we have, of course, the bill’s two authors, Speaker Fabian Núñez and Assemblywoman Fran Pavley here today with all of us, and I want to thank you for your great leadership. Thank you very much. (Applause)
We have also Linda Adams, Secretary for Environmental Protection, who has worked very hard on this bill and was our negotiator. Thank you very much for your great, great work. (Applause)
And then we have Richard Branson, a visionary President of Virgin Atlantic Airlines, who has joined us in the fight against global warming, and he has been a terrific, terrific, environmentalist. He will be joining us by satellite in a few minutes.
Then we have Sheryl Carter from NRDC, who is a big advocate of this bill, who will be talking later on about the importance of AB 32. A big hand to her also. Thank you.
And many others are here today, and especially my hardworking staff. I want to thank them very much, because without them it wouldn’t have been possible.
You know, when I campaigned three years ago for governor I made it very clear that yes, we have to bring back our economy, and we have to expand our economy, and we have to become more pro-business. But I also said that at the same time we have to protect our environment and we have to fight against global warming. And this is something that we owe our children and we owe our grandchildren, and I know that we can do this while still protecting our economy.
AB 32, as a matter of fact, is good for business, not only large and well-established businesses, but also small businesses that will harness their entrepreneurial spirit to help us achieve our climate goals. In fact, we will create a whole new industry to pump up our economy, a clean-tech industry that creates jobs, sparks new cutting edge technology and will be a model for the rest of the nation and the rest of the world.
And because of my great partners in the Legislature, that is exactly what this bill will be doing. Using market-based incentives we will reduce carbon emissions back to the 1990 level by the year 2020. That means that we will reduce carbon emissions by 25 percent by the year 2020. And this is only the beginning, because by 2050 we will reduce emissions by another 80 percent. We simply must do everything that we can in our power to fight global warming before it is too late.
And believe me when I say that this was a team effort. Not one person ever can accomplish something like this. There were a lot of people that were working together. For instance, Speaker Núñez and Assemblywoman Pavley have done an extraordinary job, a fantastic job, getting this bill through the legislature. They have been great leaders on the environment, and I want to thank them for having the will to fight and negotiate and fight, and to get this bill done. A big hand to both of them. Thank you very much. (Applause)
I also want to also say thank you to Senator Perata. Senator Don Perata has also been a great environmental leader, and has fought it through the Senate. I want to thank him also for his help. Let’s give him a big hand, even though he’s not here, but let’s give him a big hand. (Applause)
And then also the environmental community was with us on every step of the way, providing great leadership, inspiration and technical assistance. So please give them also a big hand for their great, great work. (Applause)
And then also, farsighted companies like PG&E, BP, Waste Management, Safeway, and many other companies that supported this bill, because they support it because they know that we can save our planet and also boost our economy at the same time.
We have had great help and support also from Prime Minister Tony Blair from Great Britain, who joined us earlier today via satellite at the signing ceremony in San Francisco. We want to thank him for his great leadership, because he knows how important this is to the entire world. So thank you to Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Now in England, of course, they have been using this system to comply with the Kyoto Treaty. And they have cut carbon emissions by 12 percent since 1990, and simultaneously they have grown their economy by 35 percent.
And Governor Pataki of New York was also with us earlier in San Francisco celebrating, and he was part of our bill signing up there, and he is committed to making a difference in this issue also. As a matter of fact, New York is part of the seven-state compact in the Northeast that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from electrical power plants. So he is also a great leader.
So as you can see, there are a lot of people that are working together on this. And the truly exciting part, of course, of all of this is for me is that we will lead the way. We will lead the way for other states and for other nations. We will lead in the world, and countries like India, China, and Brazil and Mexico will see that we are doing a great job with this, and they will get inspired and they will join us.
And I think that eventually, also, the federal government may join us and will join us. I’m absolutely convinced of that. (Applause)
Because there is nothing that is more important than protecting our planet. So I hope that all of you are as proud as I am today, as California leads the way in one of the most important issues that are facing our time, which is the fight against global warming and protecting our environment. So with that, I want to say thank you to all of you.
And now I would like to introduce one of the speakers who is my great friend, Sir Richard Branson, who is going to be on this video screen over there, who has pledged 3 billion dollars over the next decade to fight global warming. He has really been a true leader and puts his money where his mouth is. So please welcome Sir Richard Branson. (Applause)
SIR BRANSON:
I’ll just say—I hope you can hear me—just say thanks very much for allowing me to be with you on this historic day. I wish every governor in every state of America had the foresight and leadership that you do, and I wish every leader in the world had the same leadership skills. We’re all facing a global catastrophe, and we have to cut our CO2 emissions dramatically. And it takes decisions like the one you’ve made today in order to achieve it, but it must be done on a global basis.
When we came to your Global Summit, your Global Environmental Summit a couple of months ago, I mentioned one idea, and that was that every airport has the problem that you have your engines running, you’re queuing up to take off, and you’re just spewing forth CO2. And a simple little tug tugging the plane to the end of the runway would save about 50 percent of the CO2 emissions.
And something in the back of my head said, "I bet you I get a letter from you the next day following up on it." And the next morning I had a letter from you saying, "Let’s work together, let’s look at San Francisco, let’s look at Los Angeles, let’s see if we can cut out the CO2 emissions there." And hopefully very soon we’ll be able to do that in those airports. It made good business sense; the airline can save money by not expending fuel. It made fantastic environmental sense. It’s great for the local people on the ground, and it’s just, I think, one example of how your initiative can be made to work.
So all I wanted to say was congratulations on this historic day, and I look forward to working closely with you on it to make sure it becomes a reality.
GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER:
Thank you very much, Sir Richard Branson. Thank you very much. (Applause)
And now as our next speaker, Speaker Fabian Núñez, who has been an extraordinary partner. Come on up here, Fabian. He has been an extraordinary partner. And here is a perfect example of how Democrats and Republicans can work together if there is a will, because those are all issues that face everyone. There is no such a thing as just inhaling clean air for Democrats, or clean air for Republicans. Everyone, we want to protect the environment for everybody. So we have been working together on this for a long time, since last year we have been working on this. He has been a great partner, it’s a great joy to work with him on so many different issues. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome Speaker Fabian Núñez. (Applause)
SPEAKER NÚÑEZ:
Thank you very much, Governor Schwarzenegger. We’re tying to convince President Bush that Democrats and Republicans breathe the same air as well, as you know.
But I want to just take a moment to say, first, being here in Los Angeles in such a great place, an incredible venue, an historic day for California. You know, some folks have said it’s really altruistic of the leadership in the legislature in Sacramento, and certainly the bold leadership of the Governor, to want to do something. The truth is that we’re doing this because it’s our responsibility. The truth is that we’re doing this, and the Governor is going to affix his signature to an historic bill that’s going to curb greenhouse gas emissions in California that will forever change how we look at the world in California, and will impact not only this country but the entire globe. And I believe that in fact it’s California’s destiny to take the leadership in this area.
Governor, I want to thank you for demonstrating the type of leadership that you’ve demonstrated on Assembly Bill 32, and I want to also commend you for the courage with which you’ve moved forward in agreeing to negotiate what is a bill that the environmental community can be most proud of. And I want to say, Governor, thank you for agreeing to sign the Global Warming Solution Act of 2006. (Applause)
I also want to take a moment to thank Assemblywoman Fran Pavley, because Fran was the early and strong champion of this legislation. In fact, from her early work in her six-year tenure in the California State Assembly to reduce tailpipe emissions in vehicles to the work that we have done here today, she has never let up. And Fran, I want to thank you for making me a believer, and you’ve been great. Thank you. (Applause)
I’ll also take a moment to thank all of the hardworking advocates of this bill, but I do see a couple of legislators that are here with us today. Senator Debra Bowen, who helped shepherd the bill through the California State Senate. One of my great friends and a great defender of the environment in California, Cindy Montañez, the former Chair of the Rules Committee, is here with us today. I thank them as well for the work that they’ve done.
But I also want to recognize the hard work of the advocates of this bill. This bill today, make no mistake about it, it would not have become a reality were it not for the hard work of the Natural Resources Defense Council and Environment California. I want to thank them, because without their hard work I don’t think we would be here today. They’ve done a fabulous job. Thank you very much for all that you’ve done.
You know, what’s amazing about this bill, it’s the first of its kind in the nation, and it comes at the right time. In a recently published report by NASA’s Goddard Institute, it was discovered that the earth has reached its warmest point in almost 12,000 years. As scientists have been telling us for decades, we know that now this report reaffirms the link between pollution that man puts into the atmosphere and this warming trend we call global warming. AB 32 is going to give California the tools to reverse this destructive course and preserve our planet for our children and for generations to come.
Many people have asked us, why do this in California when we should be doing this nationally? And let me tell you, California should be championing this thing, because it’s a pretty simple response. Our state is the best state to start this, and it’s also the most capable state. As the birthplace of microprocessors and the home of some of the finest research scientists in the entire world—of course, in between all of that you have all of the patents, the researchers, and the Nobel Prize winners—you could almost say that indeed it is California’s destiny to be the first state in the nation to take such bold steps to combat global warming.
Today we are telling the world that California has the courage, the know-how, and the advantage to turn the tide on this creeping disaster. My hope is that other states, other countries as well as our own, are going to work with us and find the benefit in this legislation, to follow us in t his great journey to protect our planet. And California alone—think about—over the next 14 years, we’re going to reduce 174 million tons of carbon emission—174 million in a 14-year period. Now, that is something to be proud of.
And lastly, I want to say, as the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention. We’re going to send a clear message through the market to spur entrepreneurs to deploy clean technologies in California. We believe that ultimately California is going to pave the way for the next generation of a high-tech green economy for this state, a high-tech economy that is going to translate into tens of thousands of jobs for Californians as well as billions and billions of dollars of investment. You can’t get much better than that.
And let me just say a couple of words in Spanish, because I have noticed in the Spanish-speaking press not a lot of attention is focused on this issue. So I want to encourage—and I know there are some press here in Spanish—so I’ll just say a couple words in Spanish.
(SPANISH) Thank you very much.
(Applause)
>>: Ladies and gentlemen, Assemblywoman Fran Pavley.
ASSEMBLYWOMAN PAVLEY:
I’d like to remind the Governor we’re in the very best Assembly district in the State of California, right here.
We’ve had a wonderful day so far, although you have to admit the climate here is a lot better than it was in San Francisco. We were freezing to death up in San Francisco just a few hours ago. And it was a wonderful ceremony.
And I too want to thank the Governor for his consistent leadership on climate change, and my joint author on Assembly Bill 32, Fabian Núñez. And I’ve had the pleasure of sitting next to Fabian on the Floor of the State Assembly the last couple of years, and Mr. Speaker, the next couple of years, this is in your hands, so I’ll be watching carefully from the sidelines.
I wanted to also take this opportunity to thank some other people. Of course, our sponsors, NRDC and Environmental Defense, who did a fantastic job, but also groups like the Environmental Entrepreneurs. Now, you might not have heard of them, but they’re a Silicon Valley-based business group that says that California should and could be the home of clean technologies and alternative fuels. They put a business face on what was originally an environmental bill, and were very instrumental in sort of turning around the public opinion on this particular measure. In fact, by the end of August we had more business leaders and business organizations in support of AB 32 than environmental organizations, and that says a lot to the collective bipartisan spirit on this particular legislation and the efforts of some very progressive business leaders, including PG&E and Waste Management and a series of others.
I also would like to note the efforts, although they weren’t joint sponsors, of some environmental groups who came up to the Capitol and held some wonderful press conferences, met with legislators, sent thousands of letters in, and a variety of other press conferences and demonstrations, if you will, and that’s the Sierra Club, Environment California and Union of Concerned Scientists. They did a great job. Let’s give them a hand as well. (Applause)
In fact, Governor, I don’t know if you got a set of 1,500 fans sent down to your office, but they’re to cool yourself in the event of global warming. So this is good that this bill passed, so we can start reducing that. But they were a great stunt by the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Another group was a faith-based community, Interfaith Council, and it was a group, a collection of religious leaders from Christian, Muslim and Jewish faiths. They came and lobbied on this bill not only in their communities, but with legislators and their congregations and synagogues, and actually in the halls of the Capitol, and they talked about the moral responsibility of taking care of our planet. They were part of the team.
I also want to commend, and I notice a couple of people in this room, mayors and council members who not only came to Sacramento, but are doing tremendous things in their own communities to reduce their carbon footprints. They were part of this team and collective effort. And I can’t tell you how much energy and excitement there is among every citizen throughout California to do their fair share to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
One group that wasn’t mentioned this morning, and I thought about them, are the scientists who have warned us for decades about the impacts and problems associated with global warming in a time where very few of us were paying attention. And hopefully the federal government will soon start paying attention, and I think they will, with the passage of this bill.
Now, several years ago California responded to that concern about global warming with the passage of 1493, which curbed emissions in vehicles and light duty trucks, and that will reduce emissions by 2016 by 30 percent. That’s an important component of this bill. But the good news here today is 10 other states have adopted California’s clean car regulations, so I know, Mr. Governor, when California leads the way other states will follow. And on Assembly Bill 32, I know you’ve already got people out there in the field. We heard from Governor Pataki this morning. Other states will be joining us, because it’s only a collective effort that can truly make a difference.
One person told me during the passage of this legislation, he said, "You know, AB 32 is a transition from the old economy to the new economy." And he was exactly right. It’s a choice of doing business as usual, relying on coal and oil and other fossil fuels, and transitioning to a new, clean energy future. We can do this is in California. It’s the right thing to do for the economy and for the environment.
And again, Governor Schwarzenegger, Fabian Núñez, it’s a pleasure to be part of your team on this historic measure. (Applause)\
>>: Ladies and gentlemen, Gary Doer, Premier of Manitoba, Canada. (Applause)
PREMIER DOER:
Thank you very much. The Honorable Governor, Representatives from the Assembly of California, ladies and gentlemen and students of this university, who are going to be the biggest benefactors of the leadership of California and the leadership of this bill that’s being signed today. You may be asking yourself why is a Canadian premier—which is the same as a governor—why is a Canadian premier concerned about global warming? We certainly know that in the winter we sometimes go below zero. And when you talk about global warming below zero people first say to you, "Bring it on, let it happen." And that’s a hard argument to counter.
But really what is at stake for Canada, and I daresay for the world, is not just weather and warming up, but the 110,000 lakes in Manitoba, the hundreds of thousands of lakes and forests in Canada, are all at risk with global warming and climate change. Just like your shores will shrink, our lakes will shrink. And that’s why we’re here today.
And I’m here today to congratulate the will of the California people, the vision of the California Assembly, and the determination and leadership of the Governor in making sure this bill is passed, because it creates great action. And it creates momentum not just in the United States, but this bill presents momentum for Canada, presents momentum for the world, and that’s why you have people like Tony Blair and others congratulating the Governor of California and the people of California.
I’ve had the privilege of working with your Governor at the Western Governors meeting just a few months ago. And he presented to all the western states and to the western premiers a plan to have 30,000 megawatts of renewable energy, which had the environmental advantages that are obvious, but also the innovative and economic advantages which are crucial for a growing economy. And I do believe that not only is California in the lead with the passage of this bill on the environmental stewardship side, but it’s also in the lead in terms of innovation and possible job creation, and job creation in this new and emerging industry.
There are many cooperative agreements now internationally, and what happens here today will provide action and political will around the world. The can-do attitude of your Governor and your Assembly will make a difference for the planet that we all share.
And let me just tell you another story of why climate change is important. In Manitoba, in the very far northern part of Manitoba, there are literally hundreds of polar bears walking through that community today, going north, migrating north in the fall. I can tell you, the ice is a lot thinner in northern Canada, and the bears a lot skinnier from the climate changes that are happening. It may be a bit of the first symptoms of climate change and the effect on our ecology.
So I want to congratulate Governor Schwarzenegger and the Assembly for this Bill 32. It’s a model for the world. I believe our children and grandchildren will be the greatest benefactors. And as a Canadian Premier in a Canadian province, I promise you, other provinces in Canada will come on board with the emission standards established by California. Congratulations. (Applause)
>>: Ladies and gentlemen, Sheryl Carter, Western Energy Program Director, NRDC. (Applause)
MS. CARTER:
Thank you, and good afternoon. Today I am so proud to be a Californian. We are standing exactly 2,700 miles from Washington DC, but you know what? This is where the action is, right here in California.
The Natural Resources Defense Council is a national environmental group with over a quarter of a million members and activists in California. But today I also represent Environmental Defense. We worked hard together as co-sponsors of the Global Warming Solutions Act to see this bill become law. You know, global warming is a global problem and we need global and national solutions.
But the impacts we feel will be local, here in California. It will be the Los Angelinos who will suffer when their drinking supply dries up with Sierra snowpack. It will be the people that live in the Delta who suffer when their homes are flooded from rising sea levels. And it will be the Napa vintners who suffer when they aren’t able to grow their grapes, and the rest of us as well, actually. Fortunately, Californians don’t wait around for someone else to come to our rescue. That’s not the California way. Californians are problem solvers, we invent solutions.
Just one example, because it’s really hot out here—in the early 1970s we were facing an energy crisis and growing environmental problems from our energy use, so California established a efficient building and appliance standards and the programs that we needed to support them. And because of that, California has avoided building over 24 giant polluting power plants, and growing. And just as important, over the last decade alone, we’ve saved Californians over 4 billion dollars in lower energy costs from these measures. Today the air in our cities is a whole lot cleaner, and our energy bills are a whole lot lower.
And the broader impact? Not only have many of these efficiency standards and practices been adopted in other states in the nation, but internationally as well. And as the governor-appointed Energy Commissioner Art Rosenfeld mentioned just yesterday morning, the latest Chinese building efficiency standards were written right here in California by the staff of the Lawrence Berkeley Labs. So Californians invent solutions to our most pressing problems. And because these solutions are genuine solutions, they get copied around the world.
But don’t doubt for a minute that the Global Warming Solutions act will benefit California. Remember how California was the leader of the high-tech boom, and remember how California is the leader of the biotech industry? Well, now we’re on the cusp of a clean energy boom led by California. Energy efficiency and renewable energy will change the way that we live. The clean energy economy will benefit businesses, create jobs, and save us a whole lot of money. And we’ll have cleaner air because of it and less of the heat trapping gases that cause global warming pollution. We’ll pass on a California, we’ll pass on a world, that makes future generations proud of us.
So on behalf of NRDC and Environmental Defense, and on behalf of the whole environmental community, I want to express our thanks to Governor Schwarzenegger, Speaker Núñez, Assemblywoman Pavley and Senate pro Tem Don Perata, for their leadership on Global Warming Solutions. Thank you. (Applause)
>>: Ladies and gentlemen, Larry O’Donnell, President, Waste Management.
MR. O’DONNELL:
Good afternoon. What a beautiful day and a great venue for this historic event. It’s an honor, certainly, for me to be here today and participate in this truly historic event to tackle what many consider one of the most challenging and imposing scientific and technical challenges that we’ve every faced.
I want to congratulate Governor Schwarzenegger, Speaker Núñez, Senator Perata, and Assembly Member Pavley on their leadership and their absolute determination to place California on the front lines of the battle to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Waste Management has operations throughout North America, and it was certainly no surprise to us to see California to be the first state to impose a reduction goal on greenhouse gas emissions. I think we all know there are going to be some monumental challenges ahead of us, but at the same time, we really believe there’s a world of opportunities for us. AB 32 sets a new agenda for every Californian.
And for Waste Management, what it means to us is we’ve got to take some of the programs that we’ve been focused on for the last 20 years to an entirely new level. Things like recycling, renewable energy, alternative fuel vehicles. You know, we’re focused on the environment at Waste Management. That’s what we do. And at Waste Management we like to say, "Think green." At Waste Management we’re the largest recycler in North America. Each year, just our recycling programs save enough paper, we recycle enough paper, to save over 41 million trees, and that’s through our customers efforts to further recycling. We’re going to continue to do what we need to do to help our customers recycle even more. We’re going to invest more capital in some of our recycling facilities to bring new technologies to the market.
Some of the other things that we do, we generate enough green energy at Waste Management to power over a million homes. We also have one of the largest heavy duty truck fleets that are powered by clean natural gas. We intend to continue our investments in renewable energy-type equipment so that we can generate even more renewable energy and clean fuel from waste-derived resources, and we intend to continue to test and put on the road new alternative fuel vehicles.
California is on a great path to sustainability, and all of us at Waste Management look forward to working with the Governor, the Legislature, to apply both existing and new technologies as well as innovative new strategies, to help Waste Management as well as our millions of customers achieve the AB 32 emission reduction targets.
Congratulations to everyone who has worked so hard to enact this truly landmark bill. Thank you. (Applause)
>>: Ladies and gentlemen, Consul General of Japan, Kazuo Kodama.
CONSUL GENERAL KODAMA:
Good afternoon, everybody. It gives me great pleasure and honor to read out the following message of Japan’s Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi sent to Governor Schwarzenegger, signed on September the 25th, 2006.
Dear Governor Schwarzenegger:
Thank you for extending to me the invitation to witness the signing of the bill which encompasses new measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in California. On this occasion I would like to commend you, Governor Schwarzenegger, and the people of California, for taking a leadership role in protecting the earth’s environment.
Japan is doing its utmost to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. As the world’s two biggest economies, Japan and the United States share a common responsibility to lead the world in its effort to fight global warming. It is not an easy task, but with the cutting edge technologies that are being developed on both sides of the Pacific, and the growing awareness among the people of the need to take urgent action against this serious threat to mankind, I am sure we will be able to meet the challenge and hand down this beautiful planet to our children.
With best regards,
Junichiro Koizumi, Prime Minister of Japan
Thank you for your attention. (Applause)
GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER:
Anyone else want to talk? This is—excuse me. Excuse me, I’m not finished yet. Can you sit down and relax? Thank you very much.
I just want to say, before we do the bill signing, which will be right over there at the table, I just want to say that this will be in addition to all of the things that we have accomplished in the last three years by Democrats and Republicans working together. If you think about the kinds of bills—I mean, there were an endless amount of bills to protect the environment, to protect our ocean, if it is the Green Building Initiative, the Ocean Action Plan, building the Hydrogen Highway, the first hydrogen highway in the world, right here in California, if it is setting aside the 25 million acres of the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, if it is petitioning the Bush administration to set aside another 4 million acres, to keep them roadless, the Million Solar Roof Initiative. And the list goes on and on and on, all accomplished in the last three years by both parties working together. So I just want to say thank you again to our legislative leaders, to Speaker Núñez and to Senator Perata for their great leadership.
And now let’s create some action and sign the bills. Thank you very much. (Applause)
