Our good friends at Vote Solar just let us in on a not-so-wonderful little news flash: If Prop 23 (which is on the ballot in California this November) passes, the state’s renewable energy mandate will drop from a respectable 33% by 2020 to a dismal 20%. That’s because Prop 23 would repeal AB32, California’s landmark climate change law, which authorized the Governor to mandate 33% by Executive Order. As the San Jose Mercury News opined, “If Prop 23 passes, clean-energy investment will come to a halt.”
It’s pretty maddening when renewable energy advocates spend years working to get the state to pass a strong renewable energy portfolio standard, only to have a couple of self-interested Texas oil companies come in and bankroll a giant backlash. It’s also pretty scary-if AB32 goes, so goes the planet. In the absence of a national or global commitment to curbing climate change, the world has its hopes pinned on California to show how carbon emissions can be controlled while generating green jobs and economic growth. If California, the 8th largest economy in the world, abandons its climate change law, who will step in to take its place…and when? There’s very little time.
Our friends at Vote Solar are urging everyone to donate generously to the No on 23 campaign and we second the motion:
“The No on Prop 23 campaign is putting together TV spots, web tools and advertising, voter mobilization, etc-all the critical tools of modern campaigning. They are also supporting Communities United, a coalition of top-notch groups with a plan to reach 1.5 million swing voters in communities of color through phone calls, mailings, door knocking, get-out-the-vote precinct walking, and more.
They need dough to make it happen. A lot of dough. Be generous:
https://secure.donationsafe.com/sde/
If you want to be more hands on, the Union of Concerned Scientists gives you all the tools necessary to host house parties against the prop. Ain’t no party like a UCS party:
Bottom line, this thing needs to die deader than dead. Act now or no complaining later.”
-Erica Etelson