California Construction Trucking Association (CCTA)

Well, the times may be finally changing for those arrogant; you know what’s at CARB. In just the last month, the light of truth has poked it’s head up finally, as at least two reasonable CARB Board members questioned why Mary Nichols and CARB management staff members withheld valuable staff related fraud information from them and the rest of the Board just prior to voting on a historic yet very burdensome PM2.5 truck emissions regulation.

And as we have all come to realize, thanks to Professor James Enstrom, about these CARB rules, there is way more to this fraud than just a head staff researcher and report author claiming he had a real PH.D., and didn’t. The CARB has just itself (Mary Nichols) confirmed at a Board Meeting on Descember 9th the extensive fraud that has been perpetrated within its reputable halls – she of course refers to it all as just a “mistake”!
So, did anyone break a law or two, or three, or more? Let’s see, lying, fraud, cover-up, multiple undisclosed ex part contacts, withholding of valuable public information, fixing public reports – screwing an entire industry. I read a conspiracy is when three or more people are involved together to do something illegal – Nichols, Goldstene, Peter, Balmes, Tran and all his immediate supervisors, that’s far more than three people.
I just want to say, Mrs. Nichols, it isn’t good enough to confess, as you did on December 9, to your Board and the Citizens of California – One Year Late, that you deceived us to get this truck rule adopted. You are an attorney who apparently cares little about our laws; you should be disbarred, kicked out of the UC system and barred from any public office for life! I hope the Attorney General’s Office sends you an invite to your own hearing. And your buddies, Tran, Goldstene, Peter and Balmes should be right behind you.

The only travesty here would be, if this was all allowed to just be swept under the carpet! If we have to jump through hoops, sacrifice our businesses to comply with a regulation based on all this probable fraud, than the perpetrators of it need to be equally responsible to us and the public for what they have done. I’ve never seen any government agency that needs a house cleaning more than CARB!

In my opinion, the goals have never been clearer for these enviro-mafia zealots who believe that if laws need to be broken to further their goals – so be it. And what about working families – their dispensable too, remember the “green”kids with asthma! How about a great state’s economy being crushed – no problem, it’s all worth it to get rid of that 3% of deadly PM2.5 not really even associated with diesel engines. Don’t forget, Doctor Tran, oh right….. Mr. Tran’s report which confirmed that 3,000, no 4,000, no 5,000 premature deaths will be avoided each year if we get rid of diesel.

Make no mistake, Board member Balmes, Nichols and even the jolly green Govenator believes that the science is settled, irrefutable, good as gold! Even the CARB’S staff top dog Goldstene said that Tran’s report is solid and has been peer reviewed more than Tiger Wood’s girlfriend’s websites. I just hope Goldstene bets his career to this report if he believes it so much.

Hey Govenator, your hopes of leaving office next year with this Green Governor legacy has not worked, and in fact, the color you will be most associated with is – Red. Red as in the largest debt, deficit, unemployment rates of all time. But maybe it’s not too late, you could still try to Govern, and the first thing you should do is “Kill CARB” and then let Californians do what they do best, grow jobs, build the economy. California’s over-regulation is the problem; even Jerry Brown now gets it!

Apparently, the only people that don’t understand the jobs concept are in that white building on Capitol drive, the other 68 legislators who didn’t vote to curb CARB’s rules. California will never again grow without jobs and government jobs don’t count.

My recommendations are, if you can’t do it, don’t make it worse – just leave. If not, let’s just save $630-million this next year and Kill CARB now. Well, one thing that’s true here, is that when you announced you were refusing your $175,000 a year salary and would work for free, I now believe you were worth every penny we paid you.

Thanks to Professor’s Enstrom, Stan Young and 52 sane state legislators, the PLF, John Dunlop, CDTOA, SCCA, CIAQC and many others, our fight for justice now has a glimmer of hope. I suggest you all call your legislators, leave messages – call over and over, make these elected officials put pressure on the Governor and CARB to do what’s right.

As for what we should all tell them what’s right:

1. We want a truck replacement rule based on sound abject science that considers both sides of this thing, all done in a public forum with scientists that aren’t bought and paid for by any grants from CARB or EPA. And most importantly, scientists who share their data with even skeptics. If you don’t share you don’t get considered, i.e. Arden Pope.
2. Suspend the implementation of all rules and enforcement for a minimum of two years. Find out what the health effects of lost jobs and businesses are.
3. Make the CARB create a separate rule for vocational trucking like mine and 200,000 other truckers and companies here. Long hauling and local trucking are two very different things and the CARB staff knows this but refused to consider it – it’s time to consider it.
4. Fire Mr. Tran as a gesture of good will and fairness.
5. Appoint another chairperson to the CARB Board. And replace Board member “the science is settled” Dr. John Balmes as well.
6. Reappoint some new fresh business industry minds to sit on the board (as required by law).
7. Replace the activist SRP Panel members, especially Fronies and Glantz.
8. Make sure CARB complies with existing laws – what a novel idea!
9. Oh and I forgot, Kill-CARB and any other regulatory agency that has done as much harm to businesses and employment in this state.

CDTOA and its legal counsel and other effected associations have been working diligently to keep the pressure on at the State Capitol, over 52 legislators of the 120 senate and assembly members have come together in a bipartisan letter to CARB, to delay or suspend the On-road Truck & Bus Rule based especially on the current state of the economy in California.

I hope you all have a very safe and happy Holiday Season; I want to believe that businesses will get better this spring, but I’m not overly optimistic. Maybe we will get a ton of much needed rain this winter and some flood control work to off-set the lack of work we had this past year. I’m sure if this happens, environmental alarmists will just blame diesel emissions and man made GHG.

So, let’s just all hope that if we do get this type of work, the state doesn’t try to pay us with IOU’s! Incidentally, I’m still holding on to my last year’s state tax overpayment IOU I received earlier this year. I think I will frame it, to remind me of the financial state of this state, for what looks like years to come.
See you all next year!

Robert!