JE #5 - Confessions of an Eco-Sinner: Fred Pearce

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7550021085813329012#

Confessions of an Eco-Sinner: Fred Pearce

I enjoyed this video very much because it touched on a very personal subject for me right now. There is a board of 11 members who have been appointed by the Governor of California to bring about air regulation in their state; they are known as the California Air Regulation Board (CARB). These 11 members are allowed to bring about reform through the passage of laws and regulations and are able to set the penalties and fees for non-compliance WITHOUT any votes outside the board or approval from the state. This board of members is in essence able to act as government officials and yet have no checks or balances. This is very disturbing on multiple levels.

The first and quite possibly most important is the complete disregard of democracy. And second is that the laws and regulations they are imposing are almost impossible to comply with as a small business owner. The cost of retro-fitting my existing equipment in in the 15k to 20k range and will only be a viable solution up to 2014. At that time I will need to either purchase new equipment which could cost in the 200k range to replace with comparable or I can go with an extensive overhaul that will cost in the 50k range. Under the current laws, new equipment of model year 2010 or older will be allowed in the state indefinitely. However; as stated above, there is no checks and balances and these board members could change their minds at any time. Which is more than likely as new solutions emerge. Yet I do not feel that these governing officials will take into account the effort and expense businesses must endure in order to comply with initiatives that have not even been fully researched!

This board does not allow for time to see if the latest solutions are even working so why would they change in the future if there is no one to hold them accountable for their actions? The non-compliance fee is set by the board at 40k per DAY. Did I mention I was a small business owner? There are years where I don't even make 1/2 of what their daily fine is set at! And that is why this video really hit home for me. I am one of those people who will be severely affected by some of these "green initiatives" that are being forced into laws and regulations. I may have to close my business because 35% of my revenue comes from the state of California and I can not afford to loose that revenue. And yet there is no job to replace my business here in Florida.

Secondly regarding CARB, these 11 people are not just making laws that only affect California. They had a HUGE part in the new federally mandated auto fuel and emissions rules enforced by the EPA. So just because this does not directly affect the state of Florida now, you can believe that they will in the future! As it sits today, two other states have adopted large portions of the CARB policies, WITHOUT forming their own boards or allowing their own constituents to vote!!!