Environmentalists SLAM Gavin Newsome For Being Unable To Afford Lofty Green Intiatives
Environmentalists slammed Gov. Gavin Newsom for slashing billions of dollars from initiatives that the governor has repeatedly called top priorities: efforts to combat climate change and transition to zero-emission vehicles.
Facing a projected $22.5 billion deficit, Newsom today proposed to eliminate $6 billion in climate spending in his 2023-24 budget. The governor helped push a five-year $54 billion climate package approved by the Legislature during last year’s session, but he now proposes to cut it to $48 billion.
More than half of those proposed cuts – $3.3 billion – come from the state’s clean transportation initiatives. Newsom hopes to offset those reductions with federal funds and perhaps a new bond reserve, but the move comes just five months after the state approved a historic mandate for electrifying cars.