Whitman pledge places California's climate leadership at risk, says rival

A row has broken out between two of the leading candidates to take over from California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger when he steps down next year, after Republican primary candidate and former eBay chief executive Meg Whitman said that she would reverse the state's flagship climate bill.

The pledge drew immediate fire from rival gubernatorial candidate and San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom, who accused Whitman of "backward thinking" on climate change that would jeopardise California's position as one of the world's leading clean tech hubs.

In an op-ed earlier this month, Whitman pledged to reverse the AB32 climate bill signed by incumbent governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006. AB32 implemented a sweeping set of measures to reduce carbon emissions across the state, including regulations requiring improvements in fuel and building efficiency and increases in renewable energy capacity.

Whitman criticised the bill as inappropriate for the current economic crisis. "The governor has the ability to issue an executive order putting a moratorium on most AB32-related rules. I urge him to do so. And if he does not, I will issue that order on my first day as governor," she said in an article in the Mercury News.

The comments brought a stinging response from Newsom, a primary candidate for the Democrats, who responded with an op-ed of his own. He argued that California would benefit from the green jobs created by the AB32 legislation.

"According to the Pew Charitable Trusts, between 1997 and 2007, 'clean energy spurred the opening of 10,209 businesses with 125,390 jobs in California'," he added, arguing that repealing the bill would put investment in the sector at risk.

Significantly, Whitman's financial governance ticket stands in stark contrast to some decisions made on her watch at eBay, such as the $2.6bn (£1.63bn) purchase of VoIP service Skype in 2005. eBay admitted two years after the purchase that it had overpaid hugely for the service, and is now planning to sell the company.

The row highlights the central role climate legislation is likely to play in next year's election, which is to take place in November 2010. Schwarzenegger is forbidden from seeking a third term by law.