New Congress to Lean Heavily on Californians for Legislative Direction

Lyndsey Layton reports in the Washington Post that: Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Henry A. Waxman, and Senator Barbara Boxer are some of several "California Democrats (who) will assume pivotal roles in the new Congress and White House, giving the state an outsize influence over federal policy and increasing the likelihood that its culture of activist regulation will be imported to Washington. In Congress, Democrats from the Golden State are in key positions to write laws to mitigate global warming, promote "green" industries and alternative energy, and crack down on toxic chemicals..."California has always valued protecting the environment and health and safety of our people," Boxer said in a telephone interview.. Boxer predicts "a renewed effort to enforce existing consumer protection and workplace safety rules and environmental laws." Yet: "Environmentalists and industry expect Waxman, Boxer, Pelosi, Sutley and the others to take on the oil and gas companies."