According to this AP story from last Thursday, outgoing California governor Gray Davis has declared the energy crisis over:
The recalled governor issued a proclamation Thursday ending the state of emergency he declared on Jan. 17, 2001, as wholesale electricity prices hit record highs and California suffered rolling blackouts. The crisis, which aggravated the state’s budget deficit, played a key role in Davis ouster in last month’s recall election. …
The emergency powers allowed Davis to seize power contracts, streamline the application process to build new power plants, demand rebates for consumers who conserve energy and tell shopping centers to reduce their outdoor lighting.
Other stories on this repeal are from the Sacramento Bee and the San Francisco Chronicle.
My initial, snotty, observation on this event was “how nice to be able to declare such a thing by fiat”, but my more politically savvy friend Adrian Moore points out that by ending the state of emergency, Davis denies the abililty to use “state of emergency” powers to incoming Governor Schwarzenegger.
I wonder if Governor Schwarzenegger would have even used such powers … but that’s not the point. The point is that it’s a last-minute spiteful move on Governor Davis’s part.
I think rather we should be glad the governor’s office has yielded the additional authority that the “state of emergency” allowed.
If Governor Schwarzenegger wants the added authority, let him declare another “state of emergency” and face the resulting political reaction.
Ooooh! Good point.