WALL STREET JOURNAL MISREPRESENTS LATINO SUPPORT FOR CALIFORNIA'S CLEAN ENERGY AND CLIMATE LAW
A recent Wall Street Journal article falsely asserts:
… a recent poll by the Public Policy Institute of California found that Hispanics are the group most opposed to AB 32. They seem to understand they will be first in line to get laid off when the law starts to bite.
In fact, the PPIC poll, which can be found here, indicates the exact opposite. Latinos are the “most likely” ethnic/racial group to say “the federal government is not doing enough to address global warming.” They are also the group with the strongest support for government regulations of greenhouse gases, as PPIC reports:
More than two in three across regions and across racial/ethnic and other demographic groups believe the government should regulate emissions. Latinos (87%) are the most likely racial/ethnic group to express this view (79% Asians, 70% blacks, 70% whites).
PPIC was specifically polling this question: “Do you think the government should or should not regulate the release of greenhouse gases from sources like power plants, cars, and factories in an effort to reduce global warming?” That, of course, is precisely what AB32 does and what Prop 23 tries to undo.
These convictions are consistent in numerous key electoral states throughout the nation, according to a recent poll by the National Latino Coalition on Climate Change (NLCCC). No racial/ethnic group is more likely to support policy that combats climate change and creates low-carbon “green” jobs. Across the nation, Latinos overwhelmingly reject the false choice between a clean environment and a strong economy.
Not only do Latinos favor policy action against climate change, they are also an active voice against the dirty energy initiative, Proposition 23. Organizations like Green for All, the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California, Communities for a Better Environment, and Communities United Against the Dirty Energy Prop, have begun to successfully engage the Latino community to fight back against this harmful campaign.
Latino leaders, including Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa, State Senator Gloria Romero, and Assembly Speaker John Perez, have all voiced strong opposition to prop 23, and championed the fight against climate change. The original sponsor of the AB 32 was then-Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez.
Prop 23 threatens all Californian’s health and safety, but the Latino community will suffer disproportionate harm (see “California’s Prop 23 is bad news for Latino families“). Latinos in California suffer the highest rates of asthma and respiratory disease, and they are the group most likely to live in close proximity to oil refineries and other polluting industries. (Such as the Valero refinery in Wilmington, Ca, where 85% of residents are Hispanic and more than one-fourth live below the poverty level.)
Repealing A.B. 32 will make it easier for the worst polluters in the country to continue poisoning Latino communities; it would exacerbate unemployment in industries where Latinos are already suffering, and it would weaken opportunities for jobs and wealth building for Latinos in the green economy.
By:
Jorge Madrid and Joseph Rom
Center for American Progress (CAP)
Andrea Delgado
National Latino Coalition on Climate Change (NLCCC)
Here are five things you can do to make sure we win this fight big:
- Visit the “No on 23″ website, learn the facts & sign up: www.StopDirtyEnergyProp.com
- Educate yourself on how California’s climate & energy laws have created companies & jobs: www.CABrightSpot.com.
- Tell your friends by email, on Facebook, at work, & everywhere else.
- Participate in the debate. Write letters to the editor and post comments on blogs & websites.
- Contribute (click here). The other side’s leader, right-wing California Assemblyman Dan Logue, has publicly said he expects the oil companies to spend $50 million.
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