About Us:
State PIRG Articles CALPIRG steers California toward Clean Energy (2002)
As the lights went out across California during the winter of 2001,
Gov. Gray Davis responded to the energy crisis by signaling his
approval of dozens of new polluting power plants. Yet within two years,
Gov. Davis had approved the nation's most ambitious clean energy
initiative, thanks in large part to CALPIRG's research and advocacy.
CALPIRG's response to the energy crisis was to propose the California
Clean Energy Bill, which would double the state's reliance on clean,
renewable power to 20 percent. Proving that the goal was eminently
reasonable, the CALPIRG Charitable Trust released a report, called
Clean Energy at the Crossroads, showing that California could generate
25 percent of its energy from renewable sources within a decade.
Despite CALPIRG's research, the bill stalled in the legislature, and
CALPIRG focused on winning the governor's support.
CALPIRG continued to report that the state would face future energy
crises if it did not reduce its over-reliance on natural gas. In
December of 2001, Gov. Davis announced his support for the Clean Energy
Bill, and his support was crucial to convincing the legislature to pass
the bill. On Sept. 12, 2002, the Governor signed the California Clean
Energy Bill, ensuring that by 2017 the state will produce nearly as
much clean energy as the other 49 states combined.
