Schwarzenegger Suggests that He Might Shut Down California EPA
California gubernatorial candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) suggested yesterday that he might terminate the state’s environmental protection agency. At a question-and-answer session with voters, Schwarzenegger was asked by a farmer why the state needed Cal/EPA when there was a federal EPA. “What you just talked about is the waste — overlapping agencies,” said the candidate. “They cost a fortune. We have to strip that down and get rid of some of those agencies.” Meanwhile, one week out from a vote on whether to recall California Gov. Gray Davis (D), Davis has been working overtime to attract the environmentally minded voters that Schwarzenegger is alienating. Yesterday, he signed three bills that will help tackle water-pollution problems, and he’s trying to hammer out two high-profile land-conservation deals in southern California.
