California lawmakers approve 100% clean energy bill from Sen. Kevin de León

Sammy Roth | Palm Springs Desert Sun

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California took a giant leap toward its climate change goals this week, with lawmakers voting to approve a bill that would require the state to get 100 percent of its electricity from carbon-free energy sources like solar, wind and geothermal by 2045.

State lawmakers pitched the bill as an economic boon for California, which has become a national leader in clean energy technologies as a result of previous laws designed to reduce planet-warming carbon emissions. The continued growth of renewable energy could be especially beneficial to California's inland deserts, which have year-round sunshine, strong wind resources and a powerful geothermal hot spot by the Salton Sea.

Lawmakers also portrayed this week's votes as a reminder to the Trump administration — and to leaders around the world — that California's experiment in transitioning the world's fifth-largest economy away from fossil fuels is only beginning.

"As California goes, so does the nation. And as the United States goes, so does the world," said Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo, a Los Angeles Democrat.

Senate Bill 100, which was written by Sen. Kevin de León, was approved Tuesday by the state Assembly and Wednesday by the Senate. There was drama in the Assembly, with legislative leaders pausing the vote for several hours while supporters of SB 100 pushed a few final legislators to support the bill. The final Assembly vote was 44-33.

Gov. Jerry Brown is expected to sign the bill, making California the second state to set a target of 100 percent climate-friendly energy, after Hawaii.

The Assembly passed SB 100 one day after the release of California's Fourth Climate Change Assessment, which summarized an extensive body of scientific research projecting the local impacts of global warming. The report included a section on the state's inland desert areas, which explained why rising temperatures are likely to bring more wildfires and floods, a shorter tourism season and less reliable water supplies.

Assembly Republicans largely opposed SB 100, arguing it would burden businesses and low-income families by causing California's already-high electricity rates to rise. But several GOP lawmakers said before Tuesday's vote said that they know climate change is real, and that California must take action. Those lawmakers included Chad Mayes, a Yucca Valley Republican who lost his job as the Assembly's minority leader last year after he worked with Gov. Jerry Brown to pass a climate change bill.

"We need to get to a point where our electrical system is 100 percent renewable, where it's clean, where it's zero-carbon. The reality is that greenhouse gas emissions are a negative externality," Mayes said. "We know it’s having an impact in our state."

While SB 100 was the highest-profile energy legislation being debated in Sacramento during the final week of session, several other bills could have more immediate impacts on the state's energy landscape — especially in the desert. Those bills include:

Existing law requires California to get 50 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030, and to reduce its carbon emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. The state is on track to achieve both goals, but experts say more ambitious steps are needed to prompt more dramatic emissions reductions from electricity and transportation. Senate Bill 100 would speed things up on the electricity side of the ledger, mandating 60 percent renewable energy by 2030 and ultimately 100 percent carbon-free energy from 2045.

The 100 percent carbon-free requirement could include large hydroelectric plants, which aren't currently counted toward the state's renewable energy goals because of opposition from environmentalists. The 100 percent target could also include nuclear power, although the state's only nuclear plant, Diablo Canyon, is slated to close in 2025.

Tuesday's debate over SB 100 featured several references to AB 893, which was written by Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia, a Coachella Democrat. Originally intended as a vehicle to boost geothermal energy development by the Salton Sea, the bill was amended to also require California utilities to sign 1,675 megawatts' worth of contracts for new solar and wind power plants by 2019, before federal tax credits begin to expire.

On the geothermal front, AB 893 would require utilities to sign contracts for at least 1,000 megawatts of existing geothermal power and 750 megawatts of new geothermal. The bill would also require utilities to sign new contracts for 525 megawatts' worth of biomass facilities, which convert organic matter, such as dead trees, into electricity. Advocates say the technology could help California reduce the damage from wildfires by creating an economic incentive to cut down dead trees that might otherwise burn.

AB 893's author, Eduardo Garcia, echoed several lawmakers Tuesday when he said SB 100 highlighted the need for his bill. Garcia has argued that geothermal plants can help California achieve higher renewable energy targets because they generate climate-friendly electricity around the clock, unlike solar and wind farms, which are intermittent.

Garcia suggested lawmakers who support SB 100 should be ready to support AB 893, if it comes to a vote on the Assembly floor before the session ends this Friday.

"We have an opportunity to continue to stimulate an economy of renewable energy," Garcia said. "But … we have to do it in a way in which we can diversify the portfolio."

Sammy Roth writes about energy and the environment for The Desert Sun. He can be reached at sammy.roth@desertsun.com, (760) 778-4622 and @Sammy_Roth.