California Leads on Clean Energy. (May 14, 2011)

The following note is from the Union of Concerned Scientists.

On April 12, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law a bill requiring utilities in the state to obtain at least 33% of their electricity from clean, renewable sources by 2020. (The state’s previous target was 20% by 2010.) The bill was part of a green jobs stimulus package that enjoyed broad, bipartisan support among legislative leaders, electric utilities, ratepayer groups, environmental organizations, and renewable energy businesses.

With the 33% target now in place, UCS estimates that California will produce more than one-quarter of the renewable energy required by state standards throughout the country in 2020, and will reduce electricity-related global warming emissions by an amount equivalent to removing almost 3 million cars from the road. In addition, we estimate the standard could generate more than 500,000 new clean energy jobs over the next several decades.

UCS played a lead role in this victory. We helped to write the bill, and helped secure its passage by meeting with and building support among stakeholders, providing technical expertise to legislators and the media, and engaging our California members to voice their support.

The fact that: "The bill was part of a green jobs stimulus package that enjoyed broad, bipartisan support among legislative leaders, electric utilities, ratepayer groups, environmental organizations, and renewable energy businesses" ought to be seen to be of particular significance. Whether or not the same will be able to be reported of Australia is for the future; at present such a consensus is difficult to imagine, but the danger is that Australia will be left behind by the short-sightedness of government, opposition and the private sector.