November 17, 2008
Gov. Schwarzenegger Reinvigorates Renewable Energy Development in California
Statement by Cliff Chen, Union of Concerned Scientists
BERKELEY (November 17, 2008) – California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today signed an executive order to facilitate renewable energy project development in the state, and he proposed draft legislation to increase California's reliance on renewable energy to 33 percent by 2020. Both actions will ensure California remains a national leader in promoting renewable energy and fighting global warming, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).
Below is a statement by Cliff Chen, a senior analyst in UCS' Clean Energy Program:
"The executive order Governor Schwarzenegger signed today will go a long way toward removing regulatory barriers that have stymied renewable energy development in California. Despite our abundant renewable resources—some of the world's best solar power potential is located in the Mojave Desert, for instance—the lack of interagency coordination in the approval process for clean energy projects has prevented the state from fully capitalizing on them.
"Today's executive order establishes better coordination among the California Energy Commission, Department of Fish and Game, Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and will streamline the permitting process for clean energy projects that meet environmental review criteria. Additionally, the Natural Communities Conservation Plans established by the executive order will help the state develop renewable energy responsibly in our resource-rich areas and provide strong protections to environmentally sensitive land.
"This improved coordination and long-term resource planning will make it easier to meet the draft legislation's robust renewable electricity standard. Governor Schwarzenegger has shown real leadership in consistently backing a 33-percent-by-2020 bill. He and the leadership in the Legislature deserve credit for working with renewable energy advocates, labor unions and consumer groups to design a strong bill that has broad support.
"The 33-percent-by-2020 renewable electricity standard would generate thousands of new jobs, reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, and better protect air quality and public health. California Public Utilities Commission calculations show that the proposed 33 percent standard would reduce global warming emissions by nearly 13 million metric tons above and beyond the current 20-percent-by-2010 law. That's the equivalent of taking 2.8 million cars off the road by 2020. As written, the proposed legislation would significantly improve the existing renewable electricity standard and spur more renewable energy development to meet California's needs. We look forward to working with the administration and Legislature to make the proposed bill even better.
"The 33 percent standard has support well beyond the governor's mansion. The California Air Resources Board, the California Public Utilities Commission, and the California Energy Commission all see the 33-percent-by-2020 renewable electricity standard as an important policy to achieve the state's AB 32 global warming pollution reduction goals. When the new legislative session begins in Sacramento in January, lawmakers must make it a priority to pass a 33-percent-by-2020 bill to power a clean energy future."
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.
