California’s Renewable Energy Mandate Passes Legislature
Media Contacts
33% by 2020 Mandate Soon to Have Force of Law
Environment California
Sacramento – The California State Assembly passed SB 2X (Simitian), the 33% by 2020 Renewable Portfolio Standard bill today. The bill, which promises to be one of biggest environmental victories of the year, already passed the Senate and is on its way to the governor’s desk where he is expected to sign it.
“This is a huge clean energy victory,” said Bernadette Del Chiaro, clean energy advocate with Environment California. “Making our 33% by 2020 renewable energy mandate law of the land is one of the best ways to bring cleaner air and cleaner energy to California.”
California’s 33% renewable electricity by 2020 standard is currently enforced by regulation. Renewable energy advocates have been working for years to advance California’s renewable portfolio standard (RPS). Several similar bills have been introduced by Senator Simitian over the course of several legislative sessions only to fall prey to opposition primarily from the utility companies. The 33% goal was advanced by former Governor Schwarzenegger via executive order and later by regulation at the California Air Resources Board but failed to have the force of law behind it. Putting SB 2X on Governor Brown’s desk makes California’s RPS the strongest and biggest clean energy law in the country.
“Developing clean, renewable energy like wind and solar power is a no-brainer for California,” said Del Chiaro. “Now California can once again reap the benefits of our abundant wind power, solar power and all the other forms of clean energy.”
SB 2X passed today by an initial vote of 59-19.
