City see, city do.
The Santa Monica City Council voted last week to consider an ordinance requiring global warming caution labels on all gas pumps within the city. The move comes less than one month after the cities of Berkeley and San Francisco voted to move forward with similar measures of their own.
Santa Monica City Council Member Kevin McKeown introduced the proposal. People need to “be aware that the continued burning of petroleum fuels is part of the problem with climate change, and we have a personal choice to make,” McKeown said.
Santa Monica could soon face legal troubles if recent history is any guide. The Western States Petroleum Association has already threatened litigation against San Francisco and Berkeley, calling the proposed labels a violation of “the First Amendment’s prohibition against compelled speech.”
“I don’t think they have cause to sue, and quite frankly we label all sorts of things that we know are damaging or could be,” said McKeown. But he’s not taking any chances. The councilman requested “an evaluation of legal risk” to be included along with all other information provided to the city council.
Read more about the recent vote here.