California PUC Votes Against Passage of Upcoming Renewable Energy Ballot Proposal

The California Public Utilities Commission voted unanimously Thursday to oppose Proposition 7, the Solar and Clean Energy Act of 2008, a ballot measure that would order California utilities to procure half of their power from renewable resources by 2025. Some California pundits also refer to Proposition as “Big Solar.”

The CPUC is opposed to the measure primarily because “it would establish an excessively rigid, and potentially unworkable, structure for the further development of renewable energy in California,” the agency said in a press release. The CPUC said that the structure of the measure might in the short term hinder the state’s aggressive renewable energy goals by interfering with programs already under way.

Supporters of the measure argue that it would make California the world leader in clean power technology and help create over 370,000 new high wage jobs. Opponents argue that the good intentions of the proposition are overshadowed by how poorly written the document is, and that the ambiguities created by its passage would undoubtedly precipitate a raft of unintended consequences.

In a very aggressive move (one that may ultimately doom the ballot proposal), the measure would also make municipal utilities comply with the same renewable portfolio standards that apply to the investor-owned utilities.

A poll released on July 22, 2008 showed Proposition 7 had relatively strong support amongst Californians, with 63% supporting it and 24% opposing it (82% of those surveyed had no initial awareness of Proposition 7). But the future passage of the ballot measure now remains very much in question. As of early August, the state’s three investor owned utilities – PG&E Corp., Southern California Edison, and Sempra, the parent of San Diego Gas & Electric – had pitched-in more than $23 million to defeat the measure, including $12.9 million from PG&E.

Registered voters in California will have the opportunity to vote on the ballot proposal in the upcoming November 4 election.

>> California residents, learn about your home’s solar potential with Renewzle’s solar power calculator.

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Sacramento Business Journal
Image Credit: Laurenatclemson via flickr under a Creative Commons License

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