Gov. Schwarzenegger Creates California Maritime Security Council
Recognizing the expanded need for coordination and information sharing between the federal, state and local governments at our ports, Gov. Schwarzenegger signed an executive order creating the California Maritime Security Council (CMSC). "California's ports are vital not only to our own economy, but to the nation's economic health as well. Our state handles nearly half of all the port traffic in the United States and more than $4.5 billion in cargo moves through the Port of San Diego every year," said Gov. Schwarzenegger. Reports recently published by the Rand Corporation and the Public Policy Institute of California underscored the importance of California's ports and the devastating impact a catastrophic event would have on California's economy.
Schwarzenegger Opposes Oil Drilling Bill
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has teamed up with an environmental group that endorsed the governor's intention to block Rep. Richard Pombo's offshore oil-drilling legislation. Schwarzenegger blasted Pombo's bill in a conference call on July 24 with reporters organized by the Sierra Club. Pombo says he wants to shift power to grant drilling licenses from the federal government to the states, in part because Congress is under increasing pressure to do something about energy prices; it only narrowly re-approved a decades-long drilling moratorium earlier this year. He said doing this would effectively ban drilling in California forever, while giving other states the chance to open their coasts.
