Budget Deal?

There appears to be some progress over at the Capitol, with signs that a deal may be imminent. The Republicans sound pleased, but Nunez does not seem particularly thrilled. SacBee:

Senate Republican leader Dick Ackerman said Monday that the Senate has reached a tentative deal to resolve the state's protracted budget fight.

He cautioned, however, that the Assembly and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger still need to approve the agreement. (snip)

Speaker Fabian Núñez said he would take the Senate deal to Assembly Democrats, but made no commitment to endorse it.

That is the politics of it, which to me seems like there is a reasonable possibility that the Democrats in the Assembly at the very least may balk at it. Here is more on the meat of this particular proposal.

Sen. Bob Dutton, R-Rancho Cucamonga, has been voicing concern over Attorney General Jerry Brown's aggressive moves to force local planners to include climate change in their development projects. Using the California Environmental Quality Act, Brown has sued San Bernardino County for failing to consider greenhouse gas emissions in its general plan.

Dutton has said he is worried that Brown and environmentalists would use the same tactic on billions of dollars the state is getting ready to spend on much-needed public works projects. He said he feared such a move would caused lengthy delays and prevent roads and bridges from being built or repaired.

To soothe GOP concerns, staff has drafted a compromise proposal that would place a moratorium on greenhouse gas-related actions against transportation bonds, approved by voters under Proposition 1B last fall. It would sunset after the state Air Resources Board adopts new regulations to comply with a state initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020.

Basically, they want to be able to pollute while spending the transportation bonds on construction. That would sunset when the new regulations from AB32, the landmark greenhouse gas reductions bill, are enacted.

We should know more in the coming hours and days.