San Francisco (Platts)--19Dec2007
A former San Francisco Supervisor who is spearheading a proposed
California ballot measure that would require all electric utilities in the
state to derive 50% if their electricity from renewable resources by 2025 said
on Tuesday that he believes investor-owned utilities can be convinced to
support the initiative.
The California Secretary of State on Monday allowed the renewable energy
campaign to start gathering the roughly 430,000 signatures needed to qualify
the ballot measure for the November 2008 ballot.
Initiative sponsor Jim Gonzalez, who heads the Sacramento-based lobbying
and public policy firm Jim Gonzalez & Associates, said the proposal was
sparked in part by the fact that a bill calling for a renewable mandate of 30%
by 2020 stalled in the state Assembly after narrowly clearing the Senate. The
bill is "languishing" because IOUs opposed it, Gonzalez said.
For their part, IOUs have said that a major sticking point is that the
bill by Senator Joseph Simitian (S.B. 411), would exempt municipal utilities
from the renewable mandate.
In contrast, the proposed ballot measure would require munis to comply
with the accelerated renewable targets.
Gonzalez said he believes IOUs will come around to support the initiative
if public support is strong enough. He referred to a recent poll by Lake
Research Partners, a national public opinion firm, that showed 75% of
California voters would back the ballot initiative. Once utilities "take a
deep breath and read the initiative, they will find that they can comply" with
its requirements, Gonzalez said.
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