2011-03-21 "What happened to states' rights?" letter by Catherine McGuire of Sacramento to "San Francisco Chronicle" newspaper
[http://articles.sfgate.com/2011-03-21/opinion/29149644_1_student-housing-standards-american-values]
Not only is it shameful for the federal government to gut an opportunity for the United States to be a world leader in environmental protection ("House panel advances bill to block greenhouse gas rule, state's limits," March 16), it also is disgraceful to deny a state the right to pass laws mandated and recently protected in the midterm elections.
I find it shocking that our state's environmental standards, supported by millions of Californians, would be challenged federally, essentially demolishing the American values of democracy and individualism.
This is especially significant since these emissions standards allow California to further propel its clean tech industry, which currently attracts hundreds of millions of dollars to the state and around 2,700 jobs per $100 million dollars, according to data by the Clean Tech Group LLC.
HR910 would not result in a positive result for our country but instead would set the precedent of aggressive attack upon states' rights. It's ironic and disappointing that representatives, who usually pride themselves on prioritizing state sovereignty over federal control, switched their values for this battle.