Environment

The Chamber recognizes the need to strike a balance between environmental improvement goals and sustaining economic development. The Chamber will continue to monitor and advocate for sound policies relating to natural resources, waste, contamination, and air and water pollution control.

The Chamber Advocates for:

• Environmental strategies that allocate responsibility fairly.
• Reasonable implementation and streamlining of environmental regulations.
• Programs and Measures that promote voluntary participation.
• Requiring that In-Direct Source Rule fees and any other regulatory fees remain within the region or that replacement mitigation is done locally – money and new infrastructure stays within the region.

The Chamber Opposes:

• Regulations or mandates that are unduly punitive or costly and that would unnecessarily damage competitiveness or cause significant loss of employment.
• Any method of taxation, including fees that unfairly targets vital energy such as an oil severance tax on oil production which is essential to the Kern County economy, or establishing a de facto climate change tax on energy production, for example, “cap and tax” or “cap and trade.”

Legislative Tracking