California’s Clean Energy Battle

by Devin James Benavidez

This November, California voters will head to the polls to decide on two high profile elections. With close races in both the Senate and gubernatorial elections, the lion’s share of California voters’ attention in these mid-term elections may not be focused entirely in the right place. While the big name candidates and their ubiquitous campaign ads continue to bombard California airwaves, the vote on Proposition 23 might just be the most important decision on the ballot.

AB 32 was passed to help California establish a greener economy

This ballot initiative, also known as the “California Jobs Initiative,” seeks to postpone the implementation of the “Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006” until significant economic recovery has been made. The “Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006,” more commonly referred to as AB 32, mandates that by the year 2020 greenhouse gas emissions in California must be lowered to the levels experienced in 1990. 


Proponents of this proposition argue that the current economic recession makes it difficult for businesses to comply with the regulations stipulated in the landmark global warming legislation. Instead, they are calling for the suspension of the law’s implementation until the state’s unemployment level dips below 5.5 percent. The primary donors to the “Yes on 23” campaign, the Texas-based Valero Energy Corp. and Tesoro Corp, have contributed millions of dollars to stall AB 32 out of fear that this legislation could reverberate throughout the nation.  

California Smog (Image Source: AutoGreenMag.com)

Opponents of this proposition argue that not only does it stand to undermine the state’s progress toward mitigating the effects of global warming, but it also presents a danger to the emerging renewable energy technology sector. AB 32 has already created a favorable regulatory climate for investors in renewable energy technologies, and has in turn attracted millions of dollars in investments, which created the foundation for the growth of green jobs.


According to a recent poll done by the Public Policy Institute of California, 67 percent of Californians supported AB 32, indicative of the population’s desire to move forward with green job creation and greenhouse gas reductions. The global warming law in California has been seen as a benchmark, providing a framework that could have a symbolic effect and be replicated in other parts of the country. As we move closer to the mid-term elections in November, Proposition 23 in California acts as what some call ‘ground zero’ in the fight to expedite the transition into a future of clean energy.    


Devin Benavidez is a Research Intern at Bridging Nations, and has a BA in Political Science from California State University, Long Beach.