Diable Canyon Nuclear Power Plant. (Photo: PGE.com)
CA Lawmakers Pass Bill to Require 100% Clean Energy Statewide
Lawmakers ignore the additional $3.2 billion in costs in SB 1020, which will be passed on to 27 million ratepayers
By Katy Grimes, August 30, 2022 1:08 pm
Assembly Bill 1020, a bill to establish 100% clean energy statewide, and require state agencies to accelerate their 100% clean energy policy goal by 10 years, passed the Senate Tuesday. This is just one of many 2022 climate change bills being passed by the Legislature.
Sen. Brian Dahle (R-Bieber) railed against the bill critical of propping up a lofty goal with no plan on how to achieve this.
He’s right. California lawmakers have a long history of this laissez faire style of legislating: lawmakers pass the vague law, and then allow unelected, politically appointed regulatory officials and agencies to write the laws and implementation process.
The state has passed ambitious greenhouse gas reduction and clean energy goals since 2006 when AB 32, the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 was passed by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
At that time, AB 32 required statewide greenhouse gas emissions to be reduced to at least 40% below the 1990 level by 2020. But the state achieved that in only a few short years, largely because California did not have much greenhouse gas pollution, so lawmakers moved the goal posts out to 2030, which allowed the state to continue passing more and more strict regulations and laws.
Why should anyone care about AB 32 and its debilitating regulations?
AB 32 directs the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to be the lead agency to implement the law. The Climate Action Team, made up of relevant state agencies, is charged with helping direct state efforts on the reduction of GHG emissions and engaging state agencies.
The Climate Action Team includes:
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- California Environmental Protection Agency
- Governor’s Office of Planning and Research
- California Air Resources Board
- Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency
- Government Operations Agency
- California Natural Resources Agency
- California Department of Public Health
- Office of Emergency Services
- California Transportation Agency
- California Energy Commission
- California Public Utilities Commission
- California Department of Food and Agriculture
- Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
- Department of Fish and Wildlife
- Department of Transportation
- Department of Water Resources
- Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery
- State Water Resources Control Board
California lawmakers also passed Senate Bill 2, the Renewable Portfolio Standard program in 2011, which required all retail sellers of electricity and publicly owned utilities to buy 33 percent of the electricity delivered to their retail customers from renewable resources by 2020.
Again, the goalposts were moved and now electricity providers must each meet at least 50% of their electrical load from renewable energy resources by December 31, 2026, and at least 60% by December 31, 2030.
State law – codified under SB 100 (De León), establishes the policy that eligible renewable energy resources and zero-carbon resources supply 100% of all retail sales of electricity to California end-use customers and 100% of electricity procured to serve all state agencies by December 31, 2045, the “100% clean energy policy.”
Bill analysis published opposition to SB 1020: “The Western Electrical Contractors Association writes in opposition to the bill’s requirements of project labor agreements on state agency procurement, claiming the requirement will raise costs, reduce competition and discriminate against otherwise qualified workers. The State Water Contractors and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California have an Oppose Unless Amended position on the bill, citing cost concerns from the accelerated procurement required for SWP. A coalition of environmental and environmental justice organizations have an Oppose Unless Amended position on the bill, noting their concern with policies – such as RPS – which provide incentives to bioenergy production, specifically from dairy digester biomethane.”
Notably, lawmakers ignored the additional $3.2 billion in costs in SB 1020 to the Department of Water Resources, which will pass the costs on to the 27 million ratepayers of 29 public water agencies of the State Water Project.
Lovely. This bill is deleterious to the people of California and will only serve to send more California businesses to other states, while costing the state’s residents more on energy and water.
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We CANNOT do what is IMPOSSIBLE. But boy oh boy, how these little dictators want us to suffer on the way to what is not possible. Our only hope is that these maniacs in the legislature have pushed ALL California residents’ backs to the wall. Begging Sen Brian Dahle to get out there, now that the legis session is nearly over, and run for Gov just on THIS. That should fill up the campaign coffers.
P.S. This is one of the reasons we needed Michael Shellenberger’s voice in the Gov race, and likely one of the reasons he was mysteriously elbowed OUT of the race, even though he had been going very strong. His name was on everyone’s lips before the primary. Remember? How ‘odd’ that he didn’t make the runoff…
Agree on all counts about Shellenberger. The guy actually has the practical and intellectual capacity to set CA on the right path.
Don’t know what happened there…
Yeah, bminks, hmm…… I wonder. Hope I don’t sound too bitter and suspicious. 🙂
Agree ShowandTell!
Brian Dahle, the Republican candidate running against Gov Gav needs to hit the road hard and now!
Labor Day he should have a big rally to kick off his campaign. He must be aggressive in his messaging and honest! Ha, ha I know honest, yeah right. I want to hear him explain why carbon is essential to life, why good water management is essential to life, why farming is essential to life!, why law and order is essential to life and why freedom is essential to life!!
Shellenberger needs a seat his his administration.
Cali Girl —– I like this photo of a determined Brian Dahle looking fierce and determined as he debates that AWFUL Dem bill AB 1940 (K-12 “healthcare” clinics embedded in schools to facilitate abortions —- and God only knows what else —– without parental consent) with Sen Shannon Grove. There was something heartening about seeing Dahle’s face and body language in that photo. It tells me he is as serious, sad, and frustrated as we are about what is happening in our state. See here, scroll down:
https://californiaglobe.com/articles/ca-senate-passes-healthcare-clinics-for-k-12-students-along-party-lines/
We’ll see what he does post-Labor Day. He’s a decent guy by all accounts. As you know I’m in the camp where I say we Get Out the Vote on an “Anybody but Newsom” platform ANYWAY. But of course I would also like to hear him start to scream about the list of items you suggest, and others. Trashing Gruesome for his back-stabbing betrayals and B.S. as Gov is rich material, too, obviously. “Earned media” for starters on local TV and radio would likely bring in some serious campaign donation money, it seems.
All based on the Hoax of Man-caused Climate Change/ Global Warming!
Anybody watch Tucker Carlson yesterday? Particularly his opening segment on California energy. The leaders in this state are a bad joke. By the way, excellent article Katy.
Thanks for the tip about Tucker, John. He is usually right on target about all of this stuff. Will take a look.
Schellenburger was the best chance we had to possibly halt or at least reduce this incompetence coming out of Sacramento. But of course Harido and the Dems knew he was their biggest threat so they spent millions of dollars propping up Dahle. Now, Hairdo can disappear down a hole tomorrow and he will still be re-elected by 60%+ of voters. This is what happens when the vast majority of voters in your state are nothing more than braindead sheep. At least they are getting what they voted for (the rest of us just have to suffer for it).
Dictators gain control by creating crises and shortages.
This bill accomplishes both.
Fantastic news! A bold step towards a sustainable future. Kudos to CA lawmakers for passing the bill to require 100% clean energy statewide. A significant move for environmental responsibility and a healthier planet!