SACRAMENTO — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday vetoed a bill to force the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to limit air pollution, angering environmentalists who said the health of surrounding residents was being threatened by dirty air from ships, trucks, trains and wharf equipment.
One of the most closely watched environmental bills of the session, the legislation would have required the ports to keep air pollution at or below 2004 levels. The fast-growing Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex is the largest air polluter in Southern California.
John McLaurin, president of the Pacific Merchant Shipping Assn., welcomed the veto, calling the bill "clearly well-intended" but "vague in how it was to be implemented and flawed in its construction."
He vowed that the shipping lines and terminal operators his group represents would continue to make changes to improve air quality in Long Beach and Los Angeles.
Environmentalists, however, accused the governor of turning his back on the cause of clean air.
"I think he had a choice between clean air and big business," said Bill Magavern, a senior lobbyist for the Sierra Club. "And he chose big business. The air in the L.A. and Long Beach regions is never going to be clean unless we get a handle on port emissions."
With just one day remaining for the governor to veto bills or see them automatically become law, Schwarzenegger took action on parts of two packages of legislation that have rallied consumer and labor groups:
* He vetoed three of five bills aimed at curbing and tracking the outsourcing of California jobs to foreign countries -- a cost-saving practice some companies have turned to.
* He vetoed one of nine bills aimed at cutting prescription drug costs, some by easing access to cheaper Canadian prescription drugs.
Advocates for the disabled, elderly and consumers expect vetoes today on the remaining prescription drug bills, including one that would require the state to establish a website linking consumers to Canadian pharmacies. Drugs can be purchased there up to 40% cheaper than in the U.S.
Federal law bans the importation of prescription drugs from outside the U.S., but an estimated 1 million Americans have bought such drugs either in person or through the mail from Canada to avoid spiraling prices at home.
