Ryan ChartrandMuch has been made of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s environmental policy this past week. He delivered a speech at a Washington, D.C., conference hosted by Newsweek magazine, which featured the governor on the cover of their most recent issue and as the subject of a four-page spread on the changing of the environmental movement. He will also appear on an April 22 episode of the MTV show “Pimp My Ride” to celebrate the conversion of a 1965 Chevy Impala to run on biofuel. Unfortunately for the state of California, the nation, and indeed the world, the hype surrounding Schwarzenegger’s environmental credibility is just that – hype.
Let’s begin with the governor’s appearance on “Pimp My Ride,” and his overall promotion of biofuels as an oil alternative. Converting an Impala or a Hummer, the vehicle Schwarzenegger has been known to fancy, to run on biofuels will be extremely difficult to produce on a large scale, one that would have a sizable impact on our dependence on foreign oil or the fight against global warming. The commercial sale of biofuel is still extremely rare, and the owner of that Impala will have to search far and wide to find a place to fill up. Sadly, the governor’s appearance on the hit MTV show also had some political money involved – the owners of the car dealership where “Pimp My Ride” is filmed have made contributions of nearly $90,000 to the governor in the last two years. It appears that the governor’s environmental efforts come at a considerable cost.
Let us also consider the fact the rebuilt Impala would get 25 miles to the gallon, the fuel economy standard for all vehicles on the road today. Vehicles like the Impala and the Hummer still get horrendous gas mileage, no matter the fuel source. Schwarzenegger’s claims to truly support environmental change would be far better served if he actually fought for improved fuel economy standards, instead of replacing the engine on one Impala.
Recently, California Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein cosponsored a bill that would raise fuel the economy standards on all vehicles to 35 mpg over the next 10 years, reducing 18 percent of all vehicular greenhouse gas emissions and saving nearly 2.1 million barrels of oil per day.
It is substantial environmental steps like this one that the governor has carefully avoided during his time in office, while meaningless, feel-good gestures like his appearance on “Pimp My Ride” have become par for the course. Schwarzenegger has become notorious for this game of smoke-and-mirrors, one in which he deceptively touts environmental legislation while undercutting its effectiveness.
A perfect example of this is his vocal support for AB 32, a landmark bill passed by both houses of a Democratic-controlled California legislature last year that placed caps on carbon dioxide emissions by 25 percent, making California a global leader in the reduction of these emissions. Schwarzenegger vocally supported the bill, signing it with much fanfare. He would quickly turn his back on the bill, filling the regulatory agencies responsible for enforcing the new caps with lobbyists from the oil industry, heavy donors to his campaign and the industry that would stand to lose the most if the bill was enforced correctly.
Actions like these showcase the governor’s real intent when it comes to environmental policy. He will support it, but only when it directly benefits his political benefactors.
This country’s dependence on oil and the looming threat that is global warming are urgent problems that demand real, concrete solutions. Schwarzenegger’s political kabuki is not only ineffective, but effectively blinds the public to his true, anti-environmental policies.
It will take real leadership, like that demonstrated by Boxer and Feinstein, to tackle the complex, difficult energy problems we face today.
Zach Austin is a political science junior and Mustang Daily political columnist.