In November 2008, former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Executive Order S-14-08, which set a 33 percent renewable portfolio standard for California by 2020. On Tuesday, Jerry Brown was sworn in for a record fourth term as Governor of California and, during his inaugural speech, Governor Brown touched on California’s ambitious climate change policies, including a proposal for California to obtain 50 percent of its electricity from renewable resources within the next 15 years. Citing to AB 32, Governor Brown stated:
“[W]e are well on our way to meeting our AB 32 goal of reducing carbon pollution and limiting the emissions of heat-trapping gases to 431 million tons by 2020. But now, it is time to establish our next set of objectives for 2030 and beyond.
Toward that end, I propose three ambitious goals to be accomplished within the next 15 years:
- Increase from one-third to 50 percent our electricity derived from renewable sources;
- Reduce today’s petroleum use in cars and trucks by up to 50 percent;
- Double the efficiency of existing buildings and make heating fuels cleaner.”
Stoel Rives will continue to monitor legislative and regulatory activity involving the California renewable energy portfolio standard.