News Room: SB 411: 33% Renewable Energy by 2020
June 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
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The Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies (CEERT) named State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) a “Clean Power Champion” for 2011 at their annual awards benefit in Sacramento Tuesday night.
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April 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
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Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 2X into law at the SunPower/Flextronics solar manufacturing plant in Milpitas on Tuesday, April 12. Governor Brown and Senator Simitian were joined by U.S. Energy Secretary Dr. Steven Chu for the signing ceremony and dedication of SunPower’s new facility.
More pictures are available at the link below.
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Tuesday, April 12, 2011
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Today Governor Jerry Brown signed into law Senate Bill 2X, putting California in the national forefront in its commitment to renewable energy. The bill authored by State Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) requires private and public utilities to obtain 33% of their electricity from renewable energy resources by 2020, raising the target from the current 20%, while providing the flexibility necessary to meet the higher standard.
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March 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
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Legislation authored by State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) that would put California in the national forefront in its commitment to renewable energy is headed to Governor Jerry Brown. Senate Bill 2X would require private and public utilities to obtain 33% of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020, raising the target from the current 20%, while providing the flexibility necessary to meet the higher standard.
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Tuesday, March 29, 2011
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California lawmakers passed a bill Tuesday that would require a third of the state’s power to come from renewable energy sources by 2020, setting a new bar for the rest of the country.
The U.S.‘s largest energy consumer is increasing its renewable portfolio standards and continues to pursue a cap-and-trade program that would put a price on carbon after similar initiatives to do so in Congress have flatlined.
California is typically seen as a trendsetter when it comes to setting environmental regulations aimed at slashing harmful emissions. The new law would make it the most aggressive adopter of renewable energy in terms of the amount of new generation that will be needed, which will draw investment dollars and create jobs through wind, solar, geothermal and other alternative projects.
The legislation “sends a signal to renewable energy providers that California wants them here,” State State Sen. Joe Simitian, who authored the bill, said in a statement. “They will respond, as they have in the past, with billions of dollars in investments that will provide jobs and tax revenues.”
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February 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
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An editorial in the Los Angeles Times calls on the Legislature to pass Sen. Joe Simitian’s bill, SB 2X, requiring that 33% of the electricity in the state come from renewable resources. Some excerpts:
“The state still doesn’t have a renewable energy standard even though a sensible bill to establish one has been taken up annually since 2007. ... We’re once again hoping the political establishment can overcome its legacy of failure and give California an early lead in the struggle to wean the nation off of fossil fuels, clean the state’s air, boost its fledgling green industries and set an example on responsible mitigation strategies for climate change.”
“It’s very important for the standard to take the form of legislation rather than a gubernatorial order, because the latter can be changed at whim by any new administration. Without the force of law, utilities and investors lack the certainty they need to proceed with new renewable projects.”
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January 2011
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
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In an opinion article, Senator Joe Simitian explains the importance of increasing the amount of electricity generated from renewable resources.
In 2006, the California Legislature and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ambitiously committed California to obtain 20 percent of its electricity from renewable resources by the end of 2010.
The utilities blanched and the skeptics snickered. But despite much naysaying, we’ll get pretty darned close. The California Public Utilities Commission said we’d reach 18 percent by the end of this month, and move past 20 percent some time in the new year.
That’s good, but we can do better. California’s commitment to green energy has invigorated the renewable-energy market. An explosion of investment in green technology has produced advances in solar and wind power and a smarter electric grid. Combined, they have brought within reach what once seemed an audacious goal: 33 percent renewables by 2020.
With our 2010 goals clearly in sight, I’ve again introduced legislation that calls for a commitment, in state law, to a 33 percent renewable portfolio standard by 2020. That measure, Senate Bill 23, is now before the Senate.
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December 2010
Thursday, December 16, 2010
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State Sen. Joe Simitian is again introducing rules that require 33 percent of utilities’ energy mix to come from renewable sources, such as wind and solar, by 2020.
Simitian’s proposal was once vetoed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2009. A similar measure died on the Senate floor earlier this year. Both times, the governor objected to provisions that would limit the amount of renewable energy utilities could purchase from out of state.
Schwarzenegger did, however, issue an executive order requiring the higher energy standards, without the restrictions on out-of-state generation.
But executive orders don’t have the permanence of state statute—his successor could have nixed it—and the governor’s order left a lot of uncertainty about whether utilities would actually have to go ahead with the new requirements.
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March 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
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As the warnings about global warming mount, so does the resolve of state Sen. Joe Simitian to take California's clean energy policy to the next level.
The Palo Alto Democrat, who represents parts of Santa Cruz County, is pushing legislation that would require power companies to get 33 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2020.
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May 2007
Friday, May 18, 2007
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California would increase its targets for using renewable energy under a measure that cleared the state Senate on Thursday, a bill that prompted debate over the state's energy future.
The bill would require public utilities to get 33 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2020. It expands on two state initiatives: the state's landmark greenhouse gas reduction law that took effect this year; and a state law requiring that 20 percent of electricity come from environmentally friendly sources by 2010.
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Thursday, May 17, 2007
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Sacramento – State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) announced today that his SB 411, which accelerates the state’s commitment to buy energy from clean, environmentally friendly renewable energy resources passed the California State Senate on a 21-15 vote. The bill now moves to the State Assembly for a hearing in June or July.
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