Berkeley Could Soon Add Global Warming Labels To Gas Pumps

BERKELEY (CBS SF) -- In keeping tradition with its progressive history, the city of Berkeley could soon start slapping stickers on gas pumps to warn drivers that burning fuel contributes to global warming.

The Berkeley City Council is expected to vote Tuesday night on a plan considered the first of its kind in the nation. If it gets the green light, Berkeley would begin placing climate-change warning labels on gas pumps citywide. San Francisco is also drafting a similar ordinance that city leaders could vote on by next spring.

Berkeley is no stranger to pioneering laws that have garnered national headlines. In the recent election, voters decided by an overwhelming majority to pass the country's first ban on sugary drinks. Also known as the "soda tax," Berkeley residents will soon have to pay an extra cent per ounce to consume drinks laden with sugar.

Just as the American Beverage Association vehemently opposed the soda tax, big industry is already speaking out against the gas pump labels.

A spokeswoman for the Western States Petroleum Association, an oil-industry lobbying group, said the labels reflect Berkeley's opinions and would force "unwanted speech in violation of the First Amendment."

The labels are part of a larger voter-approved city plan to reduce emissions by 33 percent between 2000 and 2020.