California's sweeping plan to institute cap and trade and regulate "greenhouse gases" has been thrown out by a San Francisco judge.

February 04, 2011

California global warming regulations voided by judge

Thomas Lifson
16 Comments

California's sweeping plan to institute cap and trade and regulate "greenhouse gases" has been thrown out by a San Francisco judge.

SFGate.com reports: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... z1Czquhguk

The California Air Resources Board violated state environmental law in 2008 when it adopted a comprehensive plan to reduce greenhouse gases http://topics.sfgate.com/topics/Califor ... rces_Board and again last year when it passed cap-and-trade regulations, a San Francisco Superior Court judge has ruled in a tentative decision. [snip] http://topics.sfgate.com/topics/San_Fra ... rior_Court

In his decision, Superior Court Judge Ernest Goldsmith ruled that the air board approved the larger plan to implement AB32 prior to completing the required environmental review, and that the board failed to adequately consider alternatives to cap and trade. http://topics.sfgate.com/topics/Superior_court

The Air Resources Board "seeks to create a fait accompli by premature establishment of a cap-and-trade program before alternative (sic) can be exposed to public comment and properly evaluated by the ARB itself," Goldsmith found, adding that the air board's "analysis provides no evidence to support its chosen approach."

The California Air Resources Board has sweeping powers, and is regarded by many as arrogant. Apparently Judge Goldsmith has found that it acted without due consideration.

Jane Jameson of Uncoverage.net colorfully summarizes: http://www.uncoverage.net/2011/02/clima ... more-45651

The propeller-head bureaucrats in the state EPA, the Air Resources Board and the enviro-mentals who passed the "cap and trade" have basically created so god-damned many "green" regulations that no one can keep them all straight and some of the rules are hurting some of the people they are supposed to help. Duhhhhhhhhhhhh......and just think: hundreds of these geniuses are all drawing state salaries and pensions. They just spent 10 years creating a legal "cluster-f++k" that a judge is throwing out in one stroke of the pen. What a typical California scenario!! Even so.....hugs and KISSES to Judge Ernest Goldsmith, possibly the only judge in the city of San Francisco with any sense at all!!!

There will, of course, be appeals. But the greenies have lost a round, tripped up by the complexity of the process they implemented.

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/201 ... _regu.html