CA Senate Pro Tem Touts Clean-Energy, Climate-Change Bills

On February 10, Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) staged a Capitol steps media event to introduce his package of clean-energy and climate change bills.  Surrounded by other Democrats, environmentalists, clean-tech companies, de León said these bills would aid California in meeting its energy goals and help to power a new clean-energy economy.

The bills, if enacted, will codify former Governor Schwarzenegger’s Executive Order to cut greenhouse gases 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050; reduce petroleum use by 50 percent; enact a 50 percent renewables portfolio standard (RPS); and increase building efficiency by 50 percent, all by 2030; and mandate that the State’s pension funds divest from coal. An effort to enact a 50 percent RPS last year failed.  However, earlier this year, Governor Jerry Brown proposed the same 2030 targets in his State of the State address.

The bills have set the stage for vigorous negotiations over language and details among numerous parties, from the administration and the Democrat-controlled Senate/Legislature, to industry, utilities, environmental groups, and a myriad of stakeholders with an interest in the State’s environmental and climate policies and clean-tech subsidies.

De León and Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) co-sponsored SB 350, which enacts Governor Brown’s targets for renewables, efficiency and petroleum reduction.  Entitled the "Golden State Standards" the authors expressed confidence in the bill’s ability to create incentives for investment in technologies and infrastructure.

The bill was introduced February 24 allowing it to be assigned the number "350," which conveniently references the three 50 percent goals proposed by the language:  petroleum reductions, renewables, and increased building energy efficiency. 

Industry response has been overwhelmingly negative, especially as to the legislative mandate aimed at forcing 50 percent targets. Problems with the bill include the absence of specific programs or policies that will achieve what appear to be unrealistic goals while giving open-ended authority to the regulators to adopt mandates through regulatory fiat.