California Continues To Lead Clean Energy Agenda In US

[irishbobcat]

Last week, the California Assembly approved the most ambitious renewable energy program in the country with a bipartisan vote of 55 to 19. The Renewable Portfolio Standard, or Senate Bill 1X 2, will codify increasing the share of renewable energy supplied by California electricity providers to 33 percent by 2020. Promoted by Governor Jerry Brown and legislative leaders of both houses, the bill creates the most aggressive renewable energy requirement in the country and it positions California as a national leader in clean energy investments.

The California Senate approved this RPS bill in February, and this latest victory now sends the bill to the governor's desk. This law will spur billions of new dollars of investment in clean energy and infrastructure projects that help create jobs in a state where clean-tech is already the fastest growing sector of the economy. Indeed, California leads the nation in the number of clean energy jobs, businesses and patents generated, accounting for over two-thirds of U.S. venture capital investment in clean technology—totaling $6.5 billion between 2006 and 2008.

The California Apollo Program, which was widely endorsed by renewable energy businesses, labor unions and environmental and community organizations put passage of a 33% RPS at the top of its agenda as a strategy for growing our state's clean energy economy

In the weeks before the passage of the 33% RPS, Apollo collaborated with a number of clean energy partners, including the Union of Concerned Scientists, the State Building Trades Council and Natural Resources Defense Council to educate lawmakers about the need to pass this important policy.

The 33% RPS creates the necessary conditions for the job-creating and climate-protecting clean energy policies we've called for to become reality. This is a huge victory for California, and now that we've hit this benchmark, we'll continue to raise the bar.