California lawmakers passed a bill last week requiring the state to get 100 percent of its electricity from climate-friendly sources like solar and wind (and geothermal).
But they didn't vote on several proposals designed to help California achieve that goal, including a plan backed by Gov. Jerry Brown to connect the power grids of as many as 14 western states, as well as a bill that would have promoted geothermal energy development at the Salton Sea. The geothermal bill might have passed, if not for last-minute opposition from state Sen. Jeff Stone, a Republican who represents the Coachella Valley.
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| Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia |
The Salton Sea is home to one of the world's most powerful geothermal hot spots, and Imperial County officials have long argued that geothermal development would generate jobs and income in a region with high poverty and unemployment rates. There are already a dozen geothermal facilities in the area, but development has largely stalled over the past two decades due to the high up-front costs of building a geothermal plant.
Garcia came closer than previous lawmakers to getting a geothermal mandate through the Legislature. He added provisions to his bill that also would have required utilities to buy additional solar and wind power by the end of 2019, before federal tax credits begin to expire. The solar and wind industries joined geothermal advocates in supporting the bill, which cleared the Senate Appropriations Committee in a 5-2 vote last month.
But AB 893 was never brought up for a full vote, which Garcia attributed to procedural issues. The bill was amended several times in the final week of session, and it ultimately needed a special rules waiver to move forward. But the waiver required a two-thirds vote in the state Senate, and Garcia said there weren't any Republicans willing to support the bill. He singled out his Republican colleague Jeff Stone, who represents the Coachella Valley in the state Senate and has generally been supportive of renewable energy.
"We just couldn't get any help from a Republican," Garcia said.
Stone told The Desert Sun he considered voting for the waiver but was dissuaded by lobbying from the California Chamber of Commerce and electric utilities, including Sempra Energy, the parent company of San Diego Gas & Electric. Stone said he was told by the utilities that AB 893 could raise electric bills as much as $2 billion statewide.
"We're the highest-taxed citizens in the country, with the highest utility bills," Stone said. "I represent a lot of people who can't afford a $5 or $15 increase in their utility bills."
Veteran energy lobbyist V. John White said he thinks Garcia will keep building support for geothermal. White, who runs the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies, said Garcia "has established himself as a player on all of these issues."
"I think with Kevin de León leaving the Legislature, that Eddy Garcia is the logical successor as one of the leading clean energy legislators," White said.
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