Subject: California’s Environmental Policies and the Business Climate

Here in California, we are constantly creating ever-more-rigorous environmental regulation. As politicians continue to push these environmental regulations forward, one question arises: Is this kind of regulation a drag on our economy, or is it the basis for our emerging green economy and the foundation for a greener future? Although environmental policies in California promote a healthier lifestyle, they are hurtful to the business climate.

Over the past few decades, regulation has transformed the California economy in many ways, but it is starting to become clearer that many of those changes are not positive. These environmental policies are hurtful to the business climate in a number of ways. Some of these ways are:

1) Policies created put restraints on businesses causing a lack of jobs in California
2) Economic resources misappropriated on environmental policies
3) Restraints of environmental policies are negatively affecting the agricultural industry

More Policies Equals Less Jobs

In recent years, there have been more and more policies being imposed on businesses in California. Sure, air pollution regulations have cleaned up the air, but they have done so partly by driving the “dirty” industries out of California and into Nevada, Arizona, and Texas. The air is cleaner here, but it is not clear that this has had a net benefit either to California’s economy or the world’s environment.

A Better Way of Spending

The California State Assembly has spent millions of dollars California does not have on trying to improve the environment. However, it is still not very clear whether the environment has actually been improved. For example, the Malibu City Council recently approved the spending of 15 million dollars on restoring the Malibu lagoon. If they allocated even half of that on improving the state’s infrastructure, California would be much more productive and in turn, a much more resourceful state.

Driving Jobs Out of California

Agriculture is a major California industry. In fact, California is the world’s fifth largest supplier of food and agriculture commodities. However, with new environmental regulations such as restrictions on the use of pesticides, it is making many small business owners and entrepreneurs alike relocate to different states that are more business friendly. This is causing California to lose out on valuable resources, which would help regrow and stimulate the economy.

Conclusion and Recommendation

In conclusion, environmental policies are hurtful to California’s business climate. Politicians in California are spending money the state does not have to try to impose regulations that are causing big businesses as well as small business owners to relocate to other states such as Texas, Nevada and Arizona. If California wants to regrow and stimulate the economy, politicians should instead pump some of that money into resources that help promote growth and jobs.

A recommendation I would have for California politicians is that they should find more projects such as rebuilding highways and roads, which not only create jobs, but also make California more productive and resourceful. Politicians should spend less money on projects such as rebuilding the Malibu lagoon, because as I stated above, those 15 millions dollars could be spend elsewhere.