To follow up on our post yesterday detailing the debates over California’s proposed 33 percent renewable energy standard, we are sad to say that the legislation, SB 722, did not pass. The legislative session ended last night at midnight, and as debate was still raging until the closing bell, no renewable energy standard is set to last beyond the Governator’s reign.
However, there is still hope for a special legislative session, which Arnold could call before the gubernatorial election puts the fate of California’s renewable energy policies into the hands of either Meg Whitman or Jerry Brown. Given his past support for renewable energy in the state, Arnold calling a special session to pass this bill is a definite possibility.
As we said yesterday, though, the bill’s passage depends on appeasing the many interest groups attempting to tip its fine print towards their own interests. The most important points of contention, it seems, are deciding how much of the renewable energy that will be required could be generated outside of the state and streamlining the permitting processes for new generation and transmission, which has been Arnold’s chief pet peeve.
Given the uncertainty of an impending election, let’s hope that the many stakeholders here recognize the importance of compromise. California has been a leader in the realm of renewable energy — particularly solar — and firming up the 2030 standard would go a long way in reducing regulatory uncertainty from the marketplace.
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