A Fix for the Economic Analysis on AB 32 is a Must for Business
Concerns of the cost on business under AB 32, the California Global Warming Solutions Act, were expressed by the Legislature in passing the law. Yet, the California Air Resources Board (CARB), which implements the measure, did not grasp this mandate.
The law specifically charges that the intent of AB 32 is to reduce greenhouse gases “in a manner that minimizes costs and maximizes benefits for the California economy.” Yet, when CARB issued it economic analysis of AB 32’s Scoping Plan, the document was severely criticized by outside academics and the Legislative Analyst’s Office. The reviewers claimed that the report missed key elements in allowing the legislature and the public to judge the true cost of the measure. One response to the CARB analysis was critical of how cost-effectiveness was considered.
Reading L.A.’s Fortune
I love the Fortune 500 list. I particularly like the way Fortune reranks its list, such as sorting out the companies that grew the fastest and the ones that proved to be the best investment.
But when I got this year’s Fortune 500 issue last week, it occurred to me what I don’t like about it. Fortune fails to group the companies by metropolitan area. Granted, it does sort them by strict city limits, but that seems archaic since so many corporate headquarters today are in suburbs.
It’s crucial for a metropolitan area to have big corporate headquarters. Major companies provide a base of employment (the effects of this recession notwithstanding) and they tend to underwrite the arts, donate to local civic causes and create foundations. Beyond that, the number of a city’s Fortune 500 companies is kind of a report card. It tells you whether the metro area is attracting and growing big companies – or is repelling them.
Since Fortune does not group the Fortune 500 companies by metro area, I figured I’d try. I picked 15 cities and added in the headquarters in their suburbs. Here goes:
Greening California without mandates – two examples
1. Caterpillar bulldozes to fuel efficiency and less greenhouse gases
California’s Air Resources Board continues to formulate plans for cap and trade, mandatory reporting, carbon offsets and other mandates to reach bold California-only emission goals. There are, though, other forces out there promoting change that are a win-win for everyone. Take for example the Caterpillar D7E Track Type Tractor (what we call a bulldozer and pictured below) that was unveiled last week in front of the Cal EPA building. This innovation screamer is a result of Caterpillar’s focus on the marketplace and reducing the operating costs of their customers. CARB acknowledged this innovative approach for powering these off-road machines at the recent unveiling of their new funding program for clean engine technologies (see CARB release).