This comes from a local CEQA (Calif. Environmental Quality Act) attorney, Rachel Howlett.

*******

Here’s an urgent plea to please phone or write our leaders about
proposed environmental rollbacks in CA.

From: Rachel Mansfield-Howlett [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2009 6:16 PM
To: Rachel Howlett
Subject: IMPORTANT: Drama continues on CEQA GHG (Green House Gas) Rollbacks as Part of
Budget Deal

Please call Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg at (916)
651-4006 and Speaker of the Assembly Karen Bass at (916) 319-2047 and
let them know that sacrificing California's environmental protections
is unacceptable.

Hello All – Even after many many calls of protest, the proposed
budget bill still reportedly includes rollbacks on state
environmental laws, including the retroactive elimination of causes
of action related to GHGs under CEQA. Because 2 votes are needed
from the minority caucus to pass a budget, the Republicans are
exploiting the budget crisis to demand these environmental rollbacks
in exchange for their votes.

The action alert below is designed to be forwarded, or to be edited to be made your own. Generating phone calls is best, but we have included a
link below to a web dialogue where folks can edit and send an email
if they prefer.

The timing is ASAP – a budget deal could be announced anytime, and
brought for a vote immediately to minimize the opportunity for public
input. If you have any questions, please contact Brian Nowicki, our
California Climate Policy Director in Sacramento (916) 201-6938, at
any time of the day or night.

Thanks!

Calls Needed to Save California Environmental Protections

Please contact state legislative leaders today to tell them not to
concede to demands to roll back California's environmental
protections. We need your help right now. The state budget proposal
may include devastating rollbacks of the California Environmental
Quality Act and AB 32, California's Global Warming Solutions Act.

Please call Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg at (916)
651-4006 and Speaker of the Assembly Karen Bass at (916) 319-2047 and
let them know that sacrificing California's environmental protections
is unacceptable.
_______________________________

The legislative leadership still hasn't publicly released the state
budget bill -- not even to members of the Senate and Assembly.
However, despite the extraordinary public outcry over the past few
weeks, the budget bill reportedly includes rollbacks of state
environmental laws.

The Bad News
Although the exact nature of the environmental rollbacks isn't known,
earlier proposals included cuts to the California Environmental
Quality Act (known as CEQA) and AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions
Act -- California's effort to reduce statewide greenhouse gas
emissions. The changes would effectively eliminate the requirement
to analyze and minimize the environmental impacts of new sources of
greenhouse gas emissions, and they would greatly slow
downCalifornia's efforts to fight global warming.

The Budget Impasse
Because state budget decisions in California require a two-thirds
majority vote inCalifornia, the Republican minority and Governor
Schwarzenegger took the opportunity to demand rollbacks of state
environmental laws in exchange for their support for a budget bill --
despite the fact that the environmental rollbacks have absolutely
nothing to do with the state budget. Unfortunately, the Democratic
leadership, Senate President Darrel Steinberg and Speaker of the
Assembly Karen Bass, appear poised to concede to these outrageous
demands.

What's worse, we may not find out the exact size and scope of the
rollbacks until it's too late. Legislative leaders may release the
budget bill any day and move immediately for a vote, before the
public can find out about the disastrous giveaways and respond.

The Good News
It's not over yet. We still have time to convince the legislature not
to give awayCalifornia's environmental protections. However, time is
extremely short, and we need to move fast to make our voices heard by
the legislative leadership.

Calls are best. Please contact Senate President Pro Tem Darrell
Steinberg at (916) 651-4006 and Speaker of the Assembly Karen Bass at
(916) 319-2047 today to tell them the budget bill must not contain
environmental rollbacks.

Some example talking points are below, but please feel free to say
your piece in whatever way works best for you. Please call or email
day or night, but as soon as possible. If you get the answering
machine, please leave a message.
_______________________________

Example talking points:

I am calling to urge [Senate President Steinberg or Speaker of the
Assembly Bass] to keep environmental rollbacks out of the state
budget bill.

The budget bill must not include attacks on the California
Environmental Quality Act or on AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions
Act, California's best tools for fighting global warming.

Repealing environmental protections in exchange for Republican votes
on the budget should not be contemplated, and I expect [Senate
President Steinberg or Speaker of the Assembly Bass] to stand strong
in defense of California's environmental protections.