Calif. goal: Phase out fossil fuels
Governor signs bill to get all electricity from renewables by 2045
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California has set a goal of phasing out electricity produced by fossil fuels by 2045 under legislation signed Monday by Gov. Jerry Brown.
Brown approved the measure as he prepares to host a summit in San Francisco of climate change leaders starting Wednesday.
The state is pushing to rapidly expand adoption of electric vehicles and has created a “cap and trade” program to put a price on carbon emissions, creating incentives to reduce them. It’s working toward a goal, pushed by Brown and adopted by lawmakers, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent over the next 12 years.
But the efforts have drawn criticism from business groups worried about rising electric bills.
The renewable energy measure would require California’s utilities to generate 60 percent of their energy from wind, solar and other specific renewable sources by 2030. That’s 10 percent higher than the current mandate.
The goal would then be to use only carbon-free sources to generate electricity by 2045. It’s merely a goal, with no mandate or penalty for falling short.
“It’s not going to be easy and will not be immediate, but it must be done,” Brown said. “California is committed to doing whatever is necessary to meet the existential threat of climate change.”
Brown has often faced criticism that he’s too lenient with the oil industry, including from environmental groups pushing him to create a moratorium on new oil and gas wells in the state.
California ranked sixth among states in crude oil production in
May, the latest data available from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The state ranks 15th in natural gas production.
Business groups also opposed the measure amid concerns that it would raise the price of energy and make it hard to compete with firms in other states.
“If we’re going to have these firstin-the-nation laws, we want to see first-in-the-nation benefits,” said
Rob Lapsley, president of the California Business Roundtable.
The measure was written by state Sen. Kevin de Leon, a Los Angeles Democrat who is running for the
U.S. Senate against fellow Democrat Dianne Feinstein.