Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Editorial: SB 1 Is the Same Bad Legislation in a New Dress
GV-Wire-1
By gvwire
Published 6 years ago on
July 24, 2019

Share

Bad legislation is bad legislation.
It doesn’t matter how many times you try to dress it up. Or bring it back with a new number.

SB 1 is not only redundant, anti-science, and a barrier to environmental progress, it would put a brake on California’s economy, too.
We’re talking about Senate Bill 1, which is officially titled the California Environmental, Public Health, and Workers Defense Act of 2019.
Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) says the bill is an “insurance policy against the exploitation of our natural resources and our people.”

SB 1 Is Flawed Overreaction to Trump Administration

But, at its heart, SB 1 is a highly flawed overreaction to a Trump administration that many state Democratic leaders and their environmental allies have called “anti-science.”


The Legislature approved SB 1 on the final day of the session and sent the bill to Gov. Gavin Newsom. The bill was vetoed by the governor on Sept. 27.



If it passes the Legislature and is signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, the bill would empower state agencies to adopt rules and regulations that they determine are more stringent than federal rules and regulations adopted after Jan. 19, 2017.
For the record: Donald Trump was sworn into office Jan. 20, 2017. That’s not a coincidence.
This bill has little to do with ensuring clean water and air, protecting wildlife, and standing up for workers. The real goal is to provide a legislative vehicle for Democratic lawmakers to polish their “Trump resistance” credentials ahead of the 2020 elections.
We are confident in saying that because many of California’s environmental and labor protections already are more stringent than their federal counterparts. Moreover, California has ample tools to fend off unwise decrees from the Trump administration.

This bill has little to do with ensuring clean water and air, protecting wildlife, and standing up for workers. The real goal is to provide a legislative vehicle for Democratic lawmakers to polish their “Trump resistance” credentials ahead of the 2020 elections.

SB 1 Rolls Back Scientific Advances

One big problem with SB 1 is that it would wipe out the gains the scientific community has made since 2017 in understanding what has contributed to the decline of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. This new knowledge is opening the door to helping imperiled fished populations such as salmon while freeing water for cities and industries, including agriculture
“Over the last 30 years, several fish species have continued to decline despite significant expenditures and diversion curtailments mandated by Endangered Species Act rulings,” writes Rick Gilmore, general manager of the Byron-Bethany Irrigation District spanning Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Joaquin counties.
“New procedures and agreements (negotiated by the Brown administration), which incorporate new species management science, are currently being incorporated and scrutinized by the federal and state fish agencies. These updated methods should be deployed and evaluated rather than stymied and derailed. The new science and better practices present the best available option for species recovery.”


And, although Atkins says revisions have allayed fears that voluntary environmental agreements praised statewide won’t be handcuffed by SB 1, the bill’s opponents rightfully continue to be skeptical of such claims.

Bill Is a ‘Job Killer’

SB 1 is not only redundant, anti-science, and a barrier to environmental progress, it would put the brakes on California’s economy, too.
“Due to costs and anticipated litigation associated with SB 1, companies doing business in the state would be hard-pressed to hire more workers or expand California operations,” says the California Chamber of Commerce, which calls the bill “a job killer.”

Earlier Version Died, So Should This One

Two years ago, then-state Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León pushed SB 49, a bill nearly identical to SB 1. Just like Atkins’ bill, it passed the upper house. However, de León’s version nose-dived in the Assembly.
SB 1 deserves the same fate. It’s flawed legislation driven by a knee-jerk reaction to President Trump. And it’s bad for California — especially those inland regions, like the Valley, that Newsom has promised to help.
Newsom should weigh in immediately to fix SB 1’s substantial flaws. If it reaches his desk without those revisions, he should veto it.
— Written by Bill McEwen  
 

DON'T MISS

Kash Patel Plans to Move Up to 1,500 Workers Out of Washington

DON'T MISS

Fired Employees Fear Beloved Yosemite National Park Will Lose Its Luster

DON'T MISS

US and Ukraine Nearing Rare Earths Deal That Would Tighten Relationship

DON'T MISS

Trump Fires Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Two Other Military Officers

DON'T MISS

Less Is More: 5 Ingredient Dinners Are Easier Than You Think

DON'T MISS

Trump-Putin Summit Preparations Are Underway, Russia Says

DON'T MISS

Warren Buffett Offers Trump Some Advice While Celebrating Berkshire’s Success

DON'T MISS

Hungarians Will Decide Whether Ukraine Can Join the European Union, Orbán Says

DON'T MISS

Wolfie the Handsome Pup Seeks Loving Home After Life in the Wild

DON'T MISS

National Park Service Restores Some Jobs of Those Fired, Will Hire 7,700 Seasonal Workers

UP NEXT

Should Fossil Fuel Companies Be Forced to Pay for Los Angeles Wildfire Losses?

UP NEXT

How California’s Wildfire Crisis Is Burning Through Your Wallet

UP NEXT

LA Wildfires Intensify Political Jousting Over Home Insurance Premiums

UP NEXT

Conflicting Studies Obscure Reality of California’s Fast Food Wage Battle

UP NEXT

Not Quite a Unified Theory of Trumpism, but Still an Alarming Pattern

UP NEXT

California’s Aging Population Will Test Whether Its Demography Is Destiny

UP NEXT

CA Schools Still Fall Behind Despite Big Increases in Spending

UP NEXT

Editorials of The Times: Now Is Not the Time to Tune Out

UP NEXT

Look Past Elon Musk’s Chaos. There’s Something More Sinister at Work.

UP NEXT

The Deadly Truth: Record Number of Journalists Killed in 2024

Trump Fires Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Two Other Military Officers

5 hours ago

Less Is More: 5 Ingredient Dinners Are Easier Than You Think

5 hours ago

Trump-Putin Summit Preparations Are Underway, Russia Says

5 hours ago

Warren Buffett Offers Trump Some Advice While Celebrating Berkshire’s Success

5 hours ago

Hungarians Will Decide Whether Ukraine Can Join the European Union, Orbán Says

5 hours ago

Wolfie the Handsome Pup Seeks Loving Home After Life in the Wild

6 hours ago

National Park Service Restores Some Jobs of Those Fired, Will Hire 7,700 Seasonal Workers

6 hours ago

Is That Legal? A Guide to Trump’s Big Moves So Far.

8 hours ago

Hotels Are So Last Year – Why Everyone’s Sleeping in Castles, Caves and Cranes

8 hours ago

With Trump’s Prostration to Putin, Expect a More Dangerous World

8 hours ago

Kash Patel Plans to Move Up to 1,500 Workers Out of Washington

WASHINGTON — New FBI Director Kash Patel has told senior officials that he plans to relocate up to 1,000 employees from Washington to field ...

4 hours ago

4 hours ago

Kash Patel Plans to Move Up to 1,500 Workers Out of Washington

5 hours ago

Fired Employees Fear Beloved Yosemite National Park Will Lose Its Luster

5 hours ago

US and Ukraine Nearing Rare Earths Deal That Would Tighten Relationship

5 hours ago

Trump Fires Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Two Other Military Officers

5 hours ago

Less Is More: 5 Ingredient Dinners Are Easier Than You Think

5 hours ago

Trump-Putin Summit Preparations Are Underway, Russia Says

5 hours ago

Warren Buffett Offers Trump Some Advice While Celebrating Berkshire’s Success

5 hours ago

Hungarians Will Decide Whether Ukraine Can Join the European Union, Orbán Says

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend