News Release, CA Governor Brown, April 12, 2011
MILPITAS– Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. today signed SBX1 2, which requires one-third of the state’s electricity to come from renewable sources. The legislation increases California’s current 20 percent renewables portfolio standard target in 2010 to a 33 percent renewables portfolio standard by December 31, 2020.
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At present, most of the new IPP generated power from BC, and most of the heritage energy, is excluded. This fact dashes the hopes of the BC government to justify BC's costly indulgence in power generated by IPPs by selling it outside the province. SBX1 2 essentially slams a lid on a market that has really never existed - but which has provided a pretext for the economic carnage which will all fall on BC ratepayers to pay for. Section 7 of SBX1 2 contains a requirement that the California Energy Commission develop a report for the Legislature by June 30, 2011 that analyzes run-of-river hydro facilities in British Columbia and advises whether these facilities should be eligible for purposes of the RPS. Development of the report requires an opportunity for public comment and at least one public meeting (see Section 7 of SBX 1 2) |
“This bill will bring many important benefits to California, including stimulating investment in green technologies in the state, creating tens of thousands of new jobs, improving local air quality, promoting energy independence, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said Brown in his signing message.
“While reaching a 33 percent renewables portfolio standard will be an important milestone, it is really just a starting point - a floor, not a ceiling,” Brown continued in the message. “Our state has enormous renewable resource potential. I would like to see us pursue even more far-reaching targets. With the amount of renewable resources coming on-line, and prices dropping, I think 40 percent, at reasonable cost, is well within our grasp in the near future.”
For the complete text of the SBX1 2 signing message, click here.
For full text of the bill, visit http://leginfo.ca.gov/bilinfo.html.
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