Former eBay chief executive Meg Whitman said during a visit to San Diego on Wednesday that she would suspend Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's signature environmental initiative if elected.
Whitman is launching her bid for governor of California, promising to return a sense of optimism to the troubled state and saying she will "refuse to let California fail."
Whitman told an audience at Gen-Probe Inc. in Mira Mesa that she would issue an executive order suspending AB 32 until its long-term economic consequences are better understood, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. AB 32 restricts emissions of greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming.
"As governor, I would work hard to protect our environment," she told the paper. "But the needs of our environment have to be balanced with the needs of our people and the needs of our economy."
The former eBay CEO says creating jobs, cutting state spending and fixing the education system will also be her top priorities.
Whitman made the formal announcement of her bid for Governor Tuesday in Fullerton. It had been expected because the billionaire had pumped $19 million of her own money into her campaign operation.
She reiterated a promise to cut $15 billion in spending and eliminate 40,000 state jobs, although she hasn't said what programs or employees should be cut.
Whitman is seeking the Republican nomination next year, competing against state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner and former Congressman Tom Campbell.
