Governator appoints industry flacks as state eco-regulators
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) earned green esteem early in his tenure, but as important regulatory appointments take on an increasingly pro-industry tinge, his cred is starting to fade. The latest is Cindy Tuck, chosen to chair the state’s Air Resources Board after working for more than 15 years with or on behalf of an oil and energy trade group that opposed legislation to curb greenhouse gases, railroad emissions, and acid rain. The Governator has recently filled several other key roles — including those involving forestry, radioactive waste, and water quality — with folks who’ve worked within industries being regulated. His selections “have reflected a cross-section of California and haven’t been skewed,” said state Sen. Roy Ashburn (R), and some appointees seem to be proving themselves on the ground. But skeptics abound. Said one former air-quality official of Tuck, “This particular hired mouthpiece has spent her career working to undermine the laws that she will now be enforcing.”
