California Senate sends 100% clean electricity bill to Gov. Brown’s desk

Environment California

SACRAMENTO -– California is now just one step away from committing to a future powered by 100 percent clean electricity. Today, the Senate passed the landmark Senate Bill 100 (SB 100), affirming the Assembly’s vote yesterday. SB 100 now heads to Gov. Brown’s desk for his signature, which would put the state on a path to generate 100 percent of its electricity from renewable and zero-carbon sources like solar and wind by 2045.

“California has a golden opportunity to go all-in on a brighter future powered by clean, renewable, zero-carbon energy,” said Dan Jacobson, state director of Environment California. “This vote is about what we value. California is saying there’s nothing we value more than our children and grandchildren — and their inheritance must include clean air and a healthy planet.”

Scientists agree that to tackle climate change, we must stop burning virtually all fossil fuels by midcentury. California has experienced the deadly effects of climate change firsthand. The state’s latest climate assessment, released Monday, called California one of the most “climate challenged” regions in North America, beset by record high temperatures, and increasingly severe wildfires and droughts.

The Golden State has a long history of setting the bar high when it comes to clean energy, and exceeding even its most ambitious goals. The state passed its first clean energy standard in 2002, and its most recent three years ago, requiring that California energy providers generate 50 percent renewable electricity by 2030. Senate Bill 100, authored by State Senate President pro Tempore Emeritus Kevin de León, would accelerate the current mandate from 2030 to 2026. It would also establish that California generate 60 percent renewable electricity by 2030, and 100 percent zero-carbon and renewable electricity by 2045.

Environment California calls on Gov. Jerry Brown to sign Senate Bill 100 into law, raising the bar for clean electricity in California.

“The threats of climate change are getting more frequent, closer to home, and harder to ignore. Governor Brown has the opportunity to show the world that California is paying attention, and more importantly, leading by example,” Jacobson concluded.