NO on 10: Oilman's giveaway pretending to be "green" measure

Prop 10 masquerades as a "green" measure, but it is really self-serving giveaway sponsored by a billionaire Texas oilman. Don't believe the hype.

Prop 10 subsidizes the wrong things. We need more renewable energy and we need to fuel our vehicles differently. But the biggest piece here is a state giveaway to Prop 10's sponsor, Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens (his real name, not a parody of the Dukes of Hazzard), to allow his company to build lots of natural gas fueling stations. The measure picks a technology (natural gas), rather than picking an outcome (lower energy use or reduced greenhouse gas emissions).

Prop 10 is a bad use of bonds. Has anyone noticed that California's budget is a bit of a mess? Prop 10 would make it worse. It would float $5 billion in bonds and use the majority of the money to give incentives to buy certain kinds of cars and trucks. But most of those vehicles will wear out long before the 30-year bonds are paid off! That's really stupid budgeting.

If it didn't have these two fatal flaws, it could be interesting to consider whether and how much we should invest in natural gas alternative fuels as a bridge to future renewables. And to debate whether we should promote better vehicles through rebates or taxes. But these two humongous flaws are good enough reason for Prop 10 to be opposed by a wide variety of groups.

Vote NO on 10.