At a Legislative budget hearing today, the Chairman of the California Air Resources Board (http://www.arb.ca.gov/board/bio/marynichols.htm) made a surprisingly frank and honest admission.  When asked by a member how she decides to allocate the proceeds of the Cap and Trade auctions to disadvantaged communities as required by law (SB 535, de Leon), she replied:  “it is an evolving art form”.

For a department that prides itself on being “data driven” and “science based”, I find it rather astonishing that the decision-making process on how to “invest” in cleaner fuels and more energy efficient systems to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is described in such subjective and arbitrary language.

But what was not surprising was the long line of advocates for ‘environmental justice’ that have submitted their pieces of art for funding.  But if the LAO is correct in this assumptions, I am sure the $7.7 BILLION dollars will pay for a lot of art in public places like Fresno and Bakersfield.