Gov. Jerry Brown yesterday signed legislation that would put California on the path to eliminating fossil fuels from its energy sector. Senate Bill 100 speeds up the state’s timeline for moving to renewable energy sources like solar and wind, and requires that all retail electricity be carbon-free by 2045. California is the second state to adopt such a goal, after Hawaii. The governor said at a signing ceremony in Sacramento. “California is committed to doing whatever is necessary to meet the existential threat of climate change.” The bill was initially introduced last year, but stalled in the Legislature amid heavy resistance from electric utilities, oil companies and labor unions. Opponents argued that SB 100 would not make a substantial difference to global emissions as the planet continues to warm, while harming workers in fossil fuel industries and raising electricity prices for consumers.
SB 100 increases to 60 percent, from 50 percent, how much of California’s electricity portfolio must come from renewables by 2030. It establishes a further goal to have an electric grid that is entirely powered by clean energy by 2045, which could include other carbon-free sources, like nuclear power, that are not renewable. Brown has focused in his final years in office on making California a worldwide leader on climate policy. He has previously supported efforts to reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030, and to shore up the cap-and-trade system that requires polluters to buy permits for their emissions.
Credits:
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article218128485.html
https://www.newsy.com/stories/california-wants-to-rely-on-100-renewable-energy-by-2045/
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