The California State Assembly passed S.B.350, a mandate that pushes the state's renewable portfolio standard (RPS) to 50% by Dec. 31, 2030, from the current 33% by 2020.

The legislative body voted 51-26 to pass The Clean Energy and Reduction Act. The bill now goes to Gov. Jerry Brown, D-Calif., who is expected to sign it later this month.

Additionally, S.B.350 will also double the energy-efficiency savings in electricity and natural gas final end uses of retail customers through energy efficiency and conservation.

‘We applaud Senator de Leon and the assembly for raising the bar in their fight to cut carbon pollution,’ says Tom Kiernan, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).

According to AWEA, California's 33% RPS has already led to significant job creation and improvements in air quality. These benefits are now certain to continue, as wind is among the biggest, fastest, cheapest options for states seeking to reduce carbon pollution while protecting consumers with low prices locked in for 20 years or more.

Importantly, S.B.350 contains a strong directive for California to continue promoting regional cooperation with neighboring states and utilities – providing California customers with access to broader regional energy markets that will help lower prices.Â

‘We fully support a more efficient energy market in the West,’ says Kiernan. ‘It let California trade energy surpluses and deficits with its neighbors in a real-time market while at the same time lowering costs for California consumers by improving access to the region's geographic diversity of renewable energy, including wind power.’

To read the full text of the bill, click here.