Schwarzenegger and Newsom Mark 20 Years of AB 32

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gavin Newsom appeared together in Long Beach on October 14 to mark 20 years since California’s landmark climate law, AB 32, was signed, celebrating the state’s progress while acknowledging that it is not on track to meet its later emissions targets. The discussion took place at the California Economic Summit. Schwarzenegger, the Republican former governor who signed the Global Warming Solutions Act in 2006, and Newsom, the Democratic governor, presented the law as an example of climate policy advanced across party lines. Their remarks focused on emissions reductions and the expansion of clean energy and battery storage. Schwarzenegger said California’s climate policies showed what cooperation could accomplish. He cited lower greenhouse gas emissions and clean-energy jobs as evidence that environmental rules and economic activity can advance together. Coverage of the event also reported his claim that the law had helped create more than half a million clean-energy jobs. Newsom said California had installed 39,000 megawatts of clean energy in the previous seven years and created 23,000 megawatts of battery storage. He also said the state had directed...