AB32ifornia

Katy Grimes has up a great new article demystifying Prop. 23, which would reverse AB 32 (much as the numbers are reversed).

My prediction is that Prop. 23 will fail, something like 52-48. Its failure then will crash the economy. The next governor, either Brown or Whitman, then will suspend it for a year. But that won’t be good enough. As Whitman should know, businesses plan years ahead. They will plan to leave AB32ifornia.

Consider AB32 itself. Just try to read it. It’s 32 pages of legalese gibberish. Here’s the key section on suspending AB 32:

38599. (a) In the event of extraordinary circumstances, catastrophic events, or threat of significant economic harm, the Governor may adjust the applicable deadlines for individual regulations, or for the state in the aggregate, to the earliest feasible date after the deadline.

(b) The adjustment period may not exceed one year unless the Governor makes an additional adjustment pursuant to subdivision (a).

(c) Nothing in this section affects the powers and duties established in the California Emergency Services Act (Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 8550) of Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code).

(d) The Governor shall, within 10 days of invoking subdivision (a), provide written notification to the Legislature of the action undertaken.

So, can the governor suspend AB32 for more than one year? Who knows?

If you’re a business, especially a small one without high-powered environmental lawyers, such uncertainty is intolerable. So, to AB32ifornia it’s Hasta la vista, baby — to use one of the movie lines some screenwriter stuffed in Arnold’s mouth.

This time next year, California employment will be 15 percent or higher, worst in the nation. Whole industries, like the cement industry, will be leaving. It won’t just be “dirty energy” companies like Tesoro and Valoro calling for repeal. An initiative will be placed on the Feb. 7, 2012 primary, this time totally repealing AB 32, not just delaying it.

Meanwhile, the evidence against he “global warming” hoax will continue to mount.

Democrats, having lost the House and maybe the Senate in November 2012, will be panicking. They’ll be running away from the global-warming, AB 32 issue.

Big businesses, such as those Katy described, will still fund the campaign to keep AB 32. They want their subsidized profits, no matter how many real jobs are killed. Arnold will be long gone, skiing in Gstaad.

Meg Whitman, if she’s elected governor, will be eager to get the vice-presidential nod. So, unlike this time, she’ll back repealing AB 32 to appease conservatives around America.

On Feb. 7, 2012, voters will repeal AB 32.