Green haze on the city ballot

Two measures on the San Francisco ballot in November are the result of a standoff over defining renewable power. It’s a confusing picture for voters who should reject Proposition G and approve Proposition H even though the result does little to advance clean energy.

The dueling measures came about as the city readies CleanPowerSF, a green power alternative to Pacific Gas and Electric, the single source of juice for nearly all residents. The city effort is close to reality after a string of delays that played into the ballot measures.

Prop. G, sponsored by the IBEW electrical workers union, imposes a series of steps and standards to limit the sources of clean energy. The union was concerned that the energy in the city program might come from out-of-state suppliers, which would undercut California’s booming green tech economy and thus a source of local union jobs.

Prop. G imposes an unduly narrow definition of renewables, so tough that it would bar rooftop solar panels from counting. It would also require multiple notices to would-be consumers detailing the degree of green power, a requirement clearly aimed at chasing away suppliers that didn’t conform to the union’s goal of in-state power sources.

These requirements won’t kill the city plans to sell power, but they would restrict San Francisco’s options. It implants an unfair obligation, especially in a growing industry that needs a degree of flexibility in supplying electrons to homes and businesses.

Prop. H was whipped up as a poison pill counterweight by city lawmakers. It amounts to much of the same intent — buying green power generated within California — and limits the use of renewable energy credits. These certificates often represent renewable power from out of state and are designed to drop away over time as state sources grow.

In drawing up Prop. H, city leaders included a proviso that if the measure collected more votes, Prop. G would be ruled out, even if it won, too. In the talks between the two campaigns, the union sponsors of Prop. G agreed to drop their cause and back the city-sponsored measure. But this ending occurred too late to remove the measures from the ballot. Vote No on G and Yes on H.