Legislating clean

Re “Activists say gov. is green, but cautious,” Oct. 22

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed Senate Bill 210, which would have amended California’s low-carbon fuel standard, because it would have hurt the prospects for widespread adoption of low-carbon fuels. To be adopted by consumers, low-carbon fuels must become just as available and convenient as gasoline.

By leaving out market mechanisms and intervening in the established regulatory process, the bill’s sponsors stripped from the low-carbon fuel standard the power to encourage that critical development. It’s also important to note that the author got something drastically wrong: Oil companies would likely have benefited if the bill had been signed because it would have cemented the status quo.

David Crane

Sacramento

The writer is a senior advisor to the governor.

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We applaud The Times’ coverage of the serious health impact of the growing pollution from ships, trucks and trains in our region. However, your recent article failed to make clear that the fate of a bill to cut air pollution from these sources is in the governor’s hands. The Ports Investment Bill was held on the Assembly floor at the request of the governor. We eagerly await his fulfillment of his promise to address “the future of goods movement while also reducing environmental impacts.” Today, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are the region’s largest fixed source of air pollution. Additionally, the freight transportation system accounts for an estimated 2,400 premature deaths in California every year. The bill, by collecting $60 for each container processed at California’s biggest ports, would provide a much-needed revenue stream to help clean up this polluting system.

Martin Schlageter

Los Angeles

The writer is with the Coalition for Clean Air.