Gov. Jerry Brown revealed no new energy or environmental policy proposals in his 14-minute State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature on Monday. While he expressed his intention “to make California again a leader in job creation, renewable energy and state of the art efficiency,” he largely focused on the need to resolve the dire budgetary situation.

As the governor lays out his first-term initiatives, observers will be closely watching his environmental and energy agenda. Many expect that Brown will be a more aggressive environmentalist than his predecessor. Some speculate that Brown will push forward with a 2008 law imposing tougher curbs on toxic chemicals in consumer products. Gov. Schwarzenegger froze implementation of that law in December after facing pushback from business interests. So far Brown has kept mum on the subject...