This is the second installment of SSTI’s look at the Inaugural, Budget and State of the State Addresses delivered in the past week. With a heavy emphasis on alternative energy, TBED priorities continue to receive significant time in the speeches delivered by the nation’s governors at the start of the 2007 legislative season. Selected excerpts of new initiatives are provided below:
Arkansas
Gov. Mike Beebe, State of the State Address, Jan. 10, 2007
“Our students deserve the best and the newest learning tools that we can provide. It's essential that all of our students have Internet access and current technology to maximize it. Therefore, we will undertake an up-to-date assessment of all technology resources in our schools, showing us where we need to improve, and how these resources are used. With that, the Arkansas Department of Education and the Department of Information Systems will formulate a timeline to ensure that every child has SAFE access to the online world. ...
“... Young people with the talent and the ability to pursue higher education in Arkansas should not be hindered by a lack of resources. Those whose families earn less than $25,000 a year will be eligible for a $1,000 state scholarship each year for a maximum of four years. Realizing that not everyone will be able to attend school full-time, part-time students will also benefit with pro-rated aid over a longer period of time.
“And not everyone has the opportunity to immediately pursue higher education after high school. I’ll work with the legislature to further increase opportunity for higher education by expanding the Career Pathways Initiative from the current 11 community colleges to all 22. ...
“... To help attract new manufacturers and retain the ones we have, we’ll phase out the sales tax on utilities for manufacturers, with the first step being a one-sixth reduction.
“As we look forward to the future, we must put a special focus on the industries of the 21st century that will ensure our long-term economic success. I will work with the Legislature and the legislative leadership to roll back the sales tax on off-road diesel fuel and replace it with a per-gallon tax coupled with an incentive to purchase bio-diesel.
“And I’ll work with the legislative leadership on crafting a tax credit for the construction of crushers and other bio-fuel infrastructure. For an investment today, we can seed the industry of the future right here in our own backyard.
“Today, there is the potential to create gasoline – not ethanol, but gasoline – from cellulose products already growing right here in Arkansas. Imagine stopping at a gas station and filling your tank with fuel made from Arkansas wood products and created at an Arkansas bio-refinery.”
California
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, State of the State Address, Jan. 9, 2007
“The legislature joined with me in passing the historic global warming measure that caps greenhouse gas emissions. We hear so much about climate change. One area where we definitely need the climate to change is the national government's attitude about global warming. ... So, I ask you to appropriate the funds to implement this global warming legislation, so that we can become part of the world market that is already trading credits for the reduction of greenhouse gases.
“I also ask you to work with me on another environmental first. I propose that California be the first in the world to develop a low carbon fuel standard that leads us away from fossil fuels. And let us use the freedom and the flexibility of the market to accomplish it.”
Colorado
Gov. Bill Ritter, State of the State Address, Jan. 11, 2007
“Our calling card to the 21st century must be the New Energy Economy. ...
“... [W]e must do everything possible to ensure that the futuristic technology coming from the labs and the classrooms is transferred to the marketplace. ...
“I am proposing several immediate initiatives: