November 4, 2008
If Voters Reject Proposition 7, CA Legislature Should Promote Renewable Energy in a More Responsible Way, Science Group Says
Statement by Dan Kalb, Union of Concerned Scientists
BERKELEY (November 4, 2008) – Today Californians likely will defeat Proposition 7, the initiative that purported to increase the state's renewable energy usage. Despite its good intentions, the initiative would have made it harder to increase renewable energy development in the state, which is why renewable energy associations and leading science and environmental groups—including the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS)—opposed the measure.
Below is a statement by Dan Kalb, UCS's California policy director, on what it means if voters reject Proposition 7:
"California voters are savvy. Proposition 7 was the wrong approach to increasing renewable energy, so they rightfully voted no. But make no mistake about it. Californians want more renewable energy powering our economy, but they want it done right.
"Our newly elected Legislature now has a responsibility to give the state's voters what they want and need—an aggressive and effective renewable energy reform bill. A strong 33 percent renewable energy standard is the right way forward. It will increase our clean energy use and help make California a national leader in reducing the pollution that causes global warming.
"With global warming, the stakes are high. We must now work together—opponents and supporters of Prop. 7—to pass a smart energy bill we all can support."
The Union of Concerned Scientists is the leading U.S. science-based nonprofit organization working for a healthy environment and a safer world. Founded in 1969, UCS is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and also has offices in Berkeley, Chicago and Washington, D.C.
