George Schultz: Conservative, Republican, Environmentalist

Posted by | September 13, 2010 15:46 | Filed under: Top Stories

Republish
Reprint


by Stuart Shapiro

Former Secretary of State George Schultz has an outstanding op-ed in today’s Sacramento Bee supporting California’s greenhouse gas laws and arguing against efforts to repeal it via referendum this November.  He uses quotes from Republicans John McCain and Richard Lugar to make his case and cites his former boss, Ronald Reagan.

I remember from my time as secretary of state our success, led by President Ronald Reagan, in dealing with the potential adverse effects of depletion of stratospheric ozone. Yes, as now, there were arguments among scientists about the imminence of the threat. Those who were deeply worried turned out to be right. The necessary agreement, called the Montreal Protocol, came into effect in the nick of time. President Reagan supported our effort from the start to finish and acclaimed the result to be “a monumental achievement.”


Schultz is arguing against Proposition 23, which would repeal the bipartisan law passed in 2006 curbing greenhouse gas emissions in California.   Since California environmental laws have a funny way of eventually becoming U.S. laws, this has national implications.  Since greenhouse gas emissions threaten the global environment, it actually has worldwide implications.

Click here for reuse options!
Copyright 2010 Liberaland
By: Stuart Shapiro

Stuart is a professor and the Director of the Public Policy
program at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers
University. He teaches economics and cost-benefit analysis and studies
regulation in the United States at both the federal and state levels.
Prior to coming to Rutgers, Stuart worked for five years at the Office
of Management and Budget in Washington under Presidents Clinton and
George W. Bush.

Leave a Reply