Regulation, Regulation, Solar, Wind  -  February 22, 2017

California bill aims to increase RPS to 100%

With the majority of state legislative sessions in full swing, California recently the second state to have a lawmaker propose a 100% renewable energy bill. 

Sen. Kevin de León, a Democrat, has proposed legislation that would require California to source 100% of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2045.  The goal is significantly higher the state's current mandate of 50% by 2030; that target has only been on the books for a year and a half, according to a Jan. 20 report from Palm Springs-area newspaper The Desert Sun.

The newspaper reported: 

De León's bill would require California to hit 50 percent renewable energy by 2025, five years sooner than under current law, and phase out fossil fuels entirely by 2045. It's not yet clear whether the Senate leader will move forward the proposal, which he introduced before the state's bill-filing deadline on Friday, almost certainly to serve as a placeholder for more detailed legislation that could be fleshed out later.

Lawmakers in Massachusetts have also floated a 100% renewable energy bill that has garnered support from local environmental groups. That bill, filed Jan. 19 by Democratic Reps. Sean Garballey, Marjorie Decker and Sen. Jamie Eldridge, would commit the state to using 100% renewable energy by 2035. The bill also calls for the eventual phase-out of all fossil fuel use across all sectors, including heating and transportation, by 2050. 

Currently, Hawaii is the only state to have in place a 100% renewables mandate; its target year is 2045. 

Read These Related Articles:

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• California launches plan to double RE capacity by 2030
• Ca. Dept. of General Services to receive $9.8M for energy upgrades

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