Schwarzenegger Finds Someone New To Pester on the CARB Board

Mary Nichols, the former chair of the California Air Resources Board under Pat Jerry Brown, was named today to be the new head of the board tasked with implementing the landmark global warming legislation passed last year. She was a cabinet secretary under Gray Davis and served in the Clinton Adminstration working on the environment. The early accounts are glowing, particularly from her predecessor.

...the appointment of Nichols, one of the state's first environmental attorneys, is likely to blunt complaints from administration critics that Schwarzenegger's actions on the environment are not living up to his bold promises.

"She's superb, and she will be an independent person," Sawyer said. "I've known Mary for a long time, we've served together on the air board, and I would find it hard to think of a better person."

He said under Nichols' previous tenure as air board chair, historic regulations were implemented on unleaded gasoline, catalytic converters and other regulations that helped cement the board's reputation as the world's most innovative and toughest air pollution agency.

"She's a lawyer and she knows the Clean Air Act probably as well as anybody in the state," he said.

I was all set for an industry lobbyist or something to be installed, but Schwarzenegger does seem to know that his brand is being threatened with the appearance of meddling into AB 32. Mary Nichols sounds like an excellent appointment. But this will not stop Friday's hearing, and it will not stop the demands for accountability on the Governor's attempts to subvert a law he signed.

...I should also mention that without the outcry over the other resignations on the board, there is no way Arnold would have replaced them with anyone nearly as qualified. Fighting back actually can work.

UPDATE: The Flash Report is whining.