Schwarzenegger Gets Bogus Parks Award from Group That Opposes Global Warming Legislation

It figures that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has to travel cross-country today to find a group that would give him an award for his disastrous environmental record. But you only need to scratch the surface to see how genuinely bogus this award really is.

Consider this: one of the last recipients of the National Parks Trusts award was Arizona Sen. John McCain. McCain received a zero rating from the League of Conservation Voters last year, and has a lifetime record of just 24 percent. That puts him in good company with Schwarzenegger; the California League of Conservation Voters noted last month that "the governor's performance on the environment in this legislative session is on track to be the worst ever of his tenure."

Most notably, the Governor made a budget proposal to close 220 of the 279 California state parks. This summer, after the Governor vetoed parks money on top of cuts he had already proposed, his administration started the process to close 100 state parks. This is something no California Governor has ever done, or ever attempted. (On Wednesday, Schwarzenegger announced the Governor's Mansion, the Stanford Mansion, the state Indian Museum and Sutter's Fort -- four Sacramento landmarks -- would be closed one day each week due to budget cuts).

Giving him the award will be the head of the National Park Trust's Board of Directors, F. William Brownell. According to his bio, Brownell specializes in filing lawsuits against the EPA, including "defending companies in EPA enforcement actions, including the Clean Air Act permitting and compliance and challenging EPA rulemaking on air quality standards." He also is on the Executive Committee of the National Coal Council, an anti-environment group.

And that's just for starters. Brownell notes that he and his firm have "risen to prominence on its renowned representation of electric utilities and energy companies." He specializes in "climate change regulation and litigation and has defended numerous companies in cases seeking damages for greenhouse gas emissions."

Unbelievable? You bet. In his "Recovering Lawmaker" blog that appears on the SFGate, the San Francisco Chronicle's website, former Assemblymember John Laird noted"the reaction in California has been one of universal disbelief. One person told me privately it was like Sarah Palin getting a Wildlife Protection Award." Or as the Los Angeles Times put it yesterday: "If this is how awards are given out, we could have fun imagining similar honors. Nadya "Octomom" Suleman for the Zero Population Growth Award? The possibilities are endless." Indeed.

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