I’ve admitted it in the past, and I will continue to be open and honest about who I am.  I am comfortable in who I am, and how I have become the person that I am.

I grew up in Texas.

As I grew up, I constantly saw these commercials with different celebrities saying/singing don’t mess with Texas.  And while it’s pretty hard to argue with Stevie Ray Vaughn and the general anti-littering message, it isn’t quite so difficult to call them out on their political machinations.  Since the past election, Texas Governor Rick Perry has been in the spotlight quite a bit.  Not a big surprise, considering he discussed the idea of secession approvingly.

But, I guess it’s cool when Texas messes with California.  Because apparently the Texas oil companies think that they can buy the elimination of AB 32’s historic regulation of greenhouse gas pollution.  Today, Valero, of boycottvalero.com fame, announced another $3 million for the Yes on Prop 23 campaign.

Valero Energy Corp. dropped another $3 million into the Proposition 23 campaign, according to campaign finance filings reported Friday to the Secretary of State.

The Texas-based oil company has contributed more than $4 million to the initiative, which would suspend California’s landmark greenhouse gas emissions reduction law until the state unemployment rate drops to 5.5 percent for four consecutive quarters. Tesoro Corp., another oil company based in Texas, has also contributed more than $500,000 to the campaign.(SacBee)

Prop 23 would essentially end California’s regulation of greenhouse gases and put us back to square one. Instead of being a nationwide leader, we would be back waiting for the federal government to act.  (And yeah, that 5.5% unemployment is virtually unobtainable, so Prop 23 would end AB 32 for all intents and purposes.)

This is absolutely the wrong way to go for California.  Just while we are building up our green economy, we cannot turn our back on one of the few growth industries in our state.  If Texas wants to continue on the way of the dinosaur and fossil fuel, that is for Texas to Decide.

But in California, we value our environment, and all the millions that Valero has poured in will not change that.