Of the 10 proposed statewide ballot propositions on this November's ballot, the Sierra Club has taken positions on five. The club supports Propositions 1A and 2, and opposes Propositions 4, 7 and 10.

We SUPPORT Proposition 1A, which would provide $10 billion in bond funding to jump-start the construction of an 800-mile high speed rail system and to improve existing rail networks, thereby promoting sustainable land use, significantly reducing global warming pollution, and relieving pressure on our overcrowded roads and airports. Although it is very expensive, adding the same capacity to highways and airports would cost at least twice as much, without providing the same benefits.

We SUPPORT Proposition 2, which would set minimum standards for the way farm animals are housed, by requiring that they be given enough room to stand up, turn around, and fully extend their legs or wings. By reducing the density of California's enormous chicken factories, Prop 2 would lessen the intensity of their air and water pollution impacts. It would also help level the playing field between family farms and massive agri-business operations, by requiring the latter to treat their animals according to basic standards of decency.

We OPPOSE Proposition 4. For nearly 40 years, the club has supported open access to family planning services as part of a comprehensive approach to population control. Prop 4 would impose a new obstacle to access by requiring women under 18 to wait 48 hours before obtaining an abortion, and by requiring parental notification or court permission would be likely to increase the number of young women seeking dangerous amateur abortions.

We OPPOSE Proposition 7, which proposes to obtain half of California's electricity from renewable sources by 2025 and looks wonderful at first glance. But it doesn't do enough to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and could actually impede the growth of the renewable energy industry. Lack of a sound funding source means that the 50-percent-renewable goal would be almost impossible to achieve, and the proposition would lock in existing loopholes tying the price of renewable energy to that of natural gas. It would also remove local control over energy policy and thus obstruct efforts by communities to obtain more of their energy needs from renewable sources. Last, provisions "streamlining" the permitting process for renewable power would decrease environmental protections.

We OPPOSE Proposition 10, which would put California on the wrong road to cleaner vehicles. If passed, $5 billion in bond funding would primarily be distributed as rebates to buyers of "clean alternative" vehicles, but the standard for these vehicles is set so low that it would have little if any effect in reducing air pollution or greenhouse gas emissions. It could also lead to the construction of environmentally destructive large hydroelectric dams, by defining them all as "renewable" no matter what their impacts. The benefits of this measure would be primarily felt by the natural gas industry, which by any normal standards is neither "renewable" nor "alternative."

Victoria Brandon is chair of the Sierra Club Lake Group.

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