Renewable power initiative poised for ballot, draws fire

A California initiative that would have at least half the state’s electricity coming from the sun and other renewable sources by 2025 has generated more than enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot, proponents said Monday.

But some of the most influential advocates of renewable energy, such as the Union of Concerned Scientists, the Natural Resources Defense Council and Environmental Defense, are lined up in opposition, saying the proposal actually would thwart clean-energy projects and raise electricity bills.


Pitched as a solution to global warming, the proposed Solar and Clean Energy Act aims to accelerate California’s shift from coal, natural gas and other fossil fuels as sources of electricity.

Burning of fossil fuels is the primary source of increased emissions of carbon dioxide, a major heat-trapping gas, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change