Comment Log Display

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the recent EJAC
community workshops. I am the President of the San Joaquin Hispanic
Chamber of Commerce representing the counties regional small
businesses, agriculture, industrial manufactures, and
transportation operators. The collective employment of our
membership is in the 10’s of thousands in this region and we are
concerned about the ability to provide a future for our employees
under the proposed regulations. 
 
We have found it increasingly difficult to keep up with the rising
costs of fuel and utilities, much of which are related to existing
environmental and climate change laws that are much stricter than
those in other states.
 
Our families and employees live and work in this community. EJAC
was created to be a voice for vulnerable communities like my region
and make recommendations to the AB32 scoping plan.  We support
reasonable regulations to improve our air quality, but strongly
believe these regulations must be cost-effective and provide
measurable environmental improvements that demonstrably justify the
cost.
 
California already has the cleanest energy and the lowest emitting
industrial facilities in the country.  And small and minority-owned
businesses, low-income families, and communities of color already
spend a higher than average percentage of their budgets on
utilities and energy.
 
Small businesses are a critically important source of upward
mobility and job creation in minority and low-income communities.
Before EJAC advocates for more costly regulations that could put a
small business like mine out of business and our employees out of
work, please consider the costs, and promote only those that are
affordable and will deliver truly meaningful air quality benefits
for our communities.
 
Thank you,

Bob Gutierrez
President
San Joaquin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce