By a largely party-line vote, Senate Bill 1139 by Sen. Ben Hueso and Assemblyman V. Manuel Pérez was approved 21-11. It would require utilities to commit to contracting for 500 MWe of new geothermal baseload power by 2024. The Assembly Rules Committee will assign it to a committee next week.
Geothermal is nonpolluting and costs 80 percent less than power generated by fossil fuels, according to the U.S. Geothermal Energy Association. It produces power constantly, regardless of whether the sun is shining or the wind is blowing. It makes sense to convert the hot desert sun into energy and to capture wind power that blows through the San Gorgonio Pass. It also makes sense to tap into the heat from the Earth that is so abundant around the Salton Sea.
The Desert Sun encourages the Assembly to approve SB 1139 and the governor to sign it.
