Sierra Club Claifornia Has Endorsed John Chiang for a Second Term as State Controller
Sierra Club California has endorsed John Chiang for a second term as State Controller. Chiang was first elected as State Controller in 2006, after serving two terms on the State Board of Equalization. The Controller serves on the State Lands Commission and the Ocean Protection Council, giving the office an important role in protecting California’s coast.
As a member of the State Lands Commission, Chiang cast the deciding vote against what would have been the first offshore oil drilling lease in 40 years, Tranquillon Ridge, based on the inability of the commission to enforce the lease’s provisions and his concern that precedent would be set for increased federal oil leasing offshore California. He voted to deny BHP Billiton a lease for a Liquefied Natural Gas terminal off of the coast of Oxnard because the emissions from the tankers and the terminal would have impacted Ventura and Los Angeles County residents and because it was not consistent with California’s goals toward cleaner, renewable energy sources. Also, Chiang has worked to phase out the use of ecologically destructive once-through cooling at coastal power plants while preserving needed capacity for electrical generation.
At both CalPERS and CalSTRS, two of the nation’s largest public pension funds, Chiang has championed the disclosure of environmental risks as a means to strengthen the plans’ investments. He has also advocated for increased disclosure by companies doing business with CalPERS and CalSTRS of environmental risks associated with climate change and environmental regulations.
Chiang‘s main challenger is Senator Tony Strickland from Simi Valley. In 2009, Strickland voted for only two of our 15 top priority green bills, and his environmental voting record during his six years as an Assemblymember was even worse.
John Chiang has shown himself to be an outstanding and environmentally oriented public servant and has earned our endorsement and another term as Controller.
