PG&E Opposes Big Oil-Sponsored Prop 23
Today, PG&E formally came out in opposition to Prop 23, the oil-company-sponsored ballot initiative that is designed to shut down AB32 – California’s progressive climate legislation passed by voters in 2006 and due to be implemented in January 2011.
“Since actively supporting the passage of AB 32, PG&E has worked with the California Air Resources Board, California Public Utilities Commission, California Energy Commission and other stakeholders to make AB 32 a success and a model for other jurisdictions to follow” said Jonathan Marshall in an email.
“Contrary to this responsible approach, Proposition 23 would suspend the law indefinitely, despite the critical need to combat climate change at the state, national and global level”.
[social_buttons]
AB32 was the subject of well heeled attack by Texas oil companies, by strangely large donations from mysterious small out-of-state front groups, and recently even by PBS – a long-time recipient of funding from Exxon-Mobil – which weighed in with a shockingly disinformation-rich NOVA piece titled “Energy: the Big Gamble!.”
Chip in a few dollars a month to help support independent cleantech coverage that helps to accelerate the cleantech revolution!
With unprecedented funding, the oil companies prevailed in finding enough signatures to get Prop 23 on this November’s ballot, despite this moniker from current Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown fixed atop of each petition: “Suspends Air Pollution Control Laws Requiring Major Polluters to Report and Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions That Cause Global Warming Until Unemployment Drops Below Specified Level for Full Year” to replace the oil companies’ Luntzian “The California Jobs Initiative.”
PG&E says that it is working closely with policymakers “to ensure that the law’s vital environmental objectives are achieved at the lowest possible cost to customers and the California economy”.
One example of this is the 250 MW of distributed energy on rooftops that PG&E is adding one megawatt at a time through many smaller companies, bypassing the two and three year environmental reviews that slow utility-scale solar down.
Another example is PG&E’s recent investments of $100 million in SunRun, and $61 million in Solar City. Both add essentially free solar panels with no upfront cost to rooftops, with payments lower than current monthly electric rates.
PG&E has a foot in both camps. The “Good” Pacific Gas & Electric is one of the leading utilities in clean energy, a member of US-CAP, and WeCanLead.org pushing congress to pass clean energy legislation.
But it also has natural gas plants and could have seen its interest in joining the fossil interests that are trying to get California voters to change their minds about moving the state towards a clean energy economy.
Image: HaPix
Susan Kraemer @Twitter
Have a tip for CleanTechnica? Want to advertise? Want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.
Latest CleanTechnica.TV Video
CleanTechnica uses affiliate links. See our policy here.
