California governor vetoes bill stopping Trump environment rollbacks: ‘Special interests threatened and won’

The Democratic governor for California has vetoed a bill designed to roll back Trump-era cuts to environmental regulations, prompting anger from lawmakers and environmental groups.

Dubbed the “Trump insurance” bill, the legislation was designed to add a string of environmental and working rights legislation introduced by Barack Obama into California law.

The legislation would then run out in 2025 on the day Mr Trump would leave office if he won a second term - ensuring the state would live under the unaltered Obama policies for the duration of the 45th president’s time in the White House.

However Governor Gavin Newsom described the legislation as “a solution in search of a problem” – and argued it would tie the state to old science without allowing space for new innovations which may affect future environmental policy.

He wrote in a veto note: “No other state has fought harder to defeat Trump’s environmental policies, and that will continue to be the case.”

However lawmakers and activists have accused the governor of not truly understanding the policy he vetoed, and “blinking” in the face of industry opposition.

The state senate’s most senior Democrat Toni Atkins said: “The federal government continues to roll back regulations while climate change impacts roll on. I will keep working with my colleagues and the Governor to push back wherever possible.”

Meanwhile Kathryn Phillips, Director for non-profit environmental organisation Sierra Club’s California branch, called the veto “disappointing and illuminating”.

Accusing the governor of bowing to the influence of special interest groups representing big business, she added: “With this veto, we are seeing more of the same overzealous alignment with interests that want to exploit natural resources without regard to the environment or the public interest.

“And we’re seeing this alignment at a time when it presents serious risk to California.

“By vetoing this bill, the governor has sided with the industry interests who have embraced Trump’s attacks on environmental protections.”

California, the state of high-profile democratic senators Kamala Harris and Dianne Feinstein, has come under increasing fire from the Trump administration over environmental policy in attacks spurred on by comments from the president.

Last week Mr Trump said cities including Los Angeles were faced with “tremendous pollution” – blaming the state of waterways on homeless people.

The state is currently governed by an overwhelming majority of democratic politicians across all branches of government.

He added: “We’re looking at San Francisco and we’re looking at Los Angeles, and we’re looking at all of the things that are happening. You know, there’s tremendous pollution being put into the ocean because they’re going through what’s called the storm sewer that’s for rainwater,”

The government’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) went on to warn the state over water and air pollution - and threatened to withdraw California’s federal road funding unless changes were made.

Referencing the Ukraine scandal that has led to impeachment proceedings being launched against Mr Trump, a spokesman for Mr Newsom told The Washington Post at the time: ““There’s a common theme in the news coming out of this White House this week. The president is abusing the powers of the presidency and weaponising government to attack his political opponents,”

“This is not about clean air, clean water or helping our state with homelessness. This is political retribution against California, plain and simple.”