California Governor Signs Executive Order Establishing Strong Renewable Portfolio Standard

by NAW Staff on Tuesday 15 September 2009

Independent Energy Producers (IEP) Executive Director Jan Smutny-Jones and about 30 IEP members joined Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today as he signed an executive order establishing the nation's most aggressive renewable portfolio standard (RPS).

"Once again, the governor is moving California toward a cleaner, greener, more renewable energy future," says Smutny-Jones. "We're proud to be part of this important effort."

The governor's executive order will require that 33% of California's energy be from solar, wind, geothermal and other renewable sources by 2020.

Senate Bill 14 (S.B.14), which contained a similar RPS, was approved last week by California's legislature and drew support from investor-owned utilities, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, labor groups, environmentalists, ratepayer advocates and renewable developers, says the office of State Senator Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, who authored the bill.

Schwarzenegger, however, has said he will veto that piece of legislation.

"The poorly drafted, overly complex bills passed by the legislature are protectionist schemes that will kill the solar industry in California and drive prices up like the failed energy deregulation of the late 1990s," Schwarzenegger spokesman Matt David said in a statement, as reported in the New York Times. "The bills as drafted will be vetoed by the governor."

S.B.14 also contains measures that limited power resources from outside of California.

SOURCE: Independent Energy Producers

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