UPDATES ON ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS IN CALIFORNIA |
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RAISING THE STATE'S STANDARD FOR RENEWABLE POWER - 33% BY 2020
July 1, 2009 -- California once led the world in renewable energy. We have the power to take back the lead.
The state's so-called renewable-energy portfolio standard (RPS) law (AB 32 of 2006) sets the goal of deriving 20% of our electricity from renewable sources by 2010. In November the governor issued an executive order calling for 33% by 2020.
As it stands, though, our state's three investor-owned utilities (PG&E, Southern California Edison, and San Diego Gas & Electric) will probably miss the 20% target.
That's why Sierra Club California believes the state should reform our RPS law to help protect climate, improve air quality, and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.
Other states have adopted RPS laws and made significant strides in building renewable energy. In 2007 Texas reached a total installed wind capacity of over 5,000 megawatts. That same year California built only 60 megawatts of wind turbines - a dismal performance. Making California a leader again will require significant reforms in the RPS law to remove current regulations that have a built-in bias against renewable energy, and to replace these with rules that support the clean-energy goals.
Although efforts to pass legislation to boost the RPS goal and to make reforms in the program failed last year, Sierra Club California continues to lobby for more renewable power. We are pleased that Speaker Karen Bass has appointed an RPS working group to develop legislation for 2009. This group continues to meet regularly with Sierra Club California and other stakeholders in Sacramento, soliciting our ideas and listening to our concerns about reforming the RPS law.
Take action now and voice your support for clean renewable energy!
Sierra Club California has a lot to say about RPS. The legislature needs to ratify the goal of 33% renewable-power. To meet our current goal, and work to 33% by 2020 and 50% or more in the future, Sierra Club California supports the following.
Adopt feed-in tariffs setting fixed contract terms and prices for each green technology, to provide a more stable incentive structure, freeing investors and developers from risks and uncertainties.
Include municipal utilities such as the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, and Alameda Municipal Power. These should be held to the same renewable-power standards as the investor-owned utilities.
Expand RPS to allow for innovation and energy-recovery systems. To foster breakthroughs, the RPS should include innovative, less-well-known technologies and all thermal, kinetic, pressure, and osmotic sources of electricity using little or no fossil fuel.
Expand Community Choice. Sierra Club activists favor Community Choice clean-energy plans (like that being planned in Marin) to allow cities to get over half their electricity from renewables. The RPS law should help and not hinder these local efforts to increase renewable-power generation.
Above all, in upgrading California's RPS law we must guard against efforts to undermine it in the name of reform. We oppose changing the definition to allow large hydropower to be considered as renewable. California offers very limited protection in its current renewable law, but does restrict the size of small hydros to 30 megawatts, and forbids new impoundments of water - hardly sufficient to protect water resources and aquatic life.
Utilities should not get renewable-power credit for their energy-efficiency efforts. While we have always supported energy efficiency, we believe the RPS should instead encourage investment in new sources of clean renewable power, while other programs focus on energy efficiency.
Not all energy sources labeled under current law as "renewable" are equally sustainable in terms of environmental impacts or energy supply. Even renewable energy can have adverse impacts. For example, poor environmental practices at the Altamont wind site in Northern California have resulted in excessive bird kills. The impact and sources of biofuels, large-scale development of solar power in the desert, and toxic materials in solar panels should be addressed and standards developed for proper use of resources. Utilities don't always consider those problems during environmental review.
As we power up California's standards, we need to ensure that we do not lose valuable resources, and that we do nothing to harm the environment we are striving to protect and improve. As lawmakers address our concerns, we move closer to a RPS for California that leads the way toward sustainable, smart development of renewable energy.
Senate Bill 14 by Senator Joe Simitian will be heard in the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee on Monday June 29. Assembly Bill 64 by Assemblymember Paul Krekorian will be heard in the Senate Energy Committee on Tuesday June 30.
Letter to the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee for Senate Bill 14 (6/24/09)
Letter to the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee for Asssembly Bill 64 (03/27/09)
Today’s packed Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications hearing showed just how many people hope to bring more clean power to California.
Right now is our best chance to give California’s clean-energy future a solid foundation. That’s why our state’s renewable portfolio standard should be at least 33 percent by 2020.
We can make that standard even stronger by requiring that newly generated power come from truly clean sources. It just makes sense to consider the potential impacts of building new dams and hydroelectric facilities, or of converting waste into energy. These proposals have a price tag that will be paid not only by ratepayers, but by California’s wild rivers and clean air.
Now is also a great time to start thinking about an enforcement strategy for bringing California into the clean-energy future. As Senator Simitian mentioned while defending the bill, California’s Public Utilities Commission never has issued a single penalty for utilities that fail to meet state standards for new renewable power. Not one.
That’s why it’s a good time to hold those commissioners to a higher standard as well, with regard to conflict-of-interest. We can’t continue the revolving-door policy that encourages the regulated to become the regulators.
Sierra Club California pledges to continue working with Sen. Simitian and the committee to improve SB 14 and to bring cleaner energy to all Californians.
Letter To Gov. Schwarzenegger: We need more renewable energy (7/22/08)
Letter to California Energy Officials: Expand Feed-In Tariffs To Promote Renewable Energy (12/10/2008)
Letter To Gov. Schwarzenegger: We need more renewable energy (7/22/08)
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