California has developed a plan that would transform the state to be reliant on 100 percent renewable energy sources by 2045.
If the bill is signed into law, California and Hawaii will become the only two states that require 100 percent renewable energy use by 2045, according to Forbes. California State Senate President Kevin de León, a Democrat from Los Angeles, originally introduced the plan — which has already passed the state senate, the Assembly Natural Resources Committee and the Assembly Utilities and Energy Committee. The bill will likely land on Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk, according to KPBS.
"When it comes to our clean air and climate change, we are not backing down," de León said on May 31, just before President Donald Trump announced a withdrawal from the Paris climate accord. "We are sending a clear message to the rest of the world that no president, no matter how desperately they try to ignore reality, can halt our progress."
The bill, SB 100, would "set limits on California's hydrocarbon consumption and aim to gradually increase renewable energy consumption in the coming decades," according to Forbes.
"SB100 promises to reduce the impact of climate change by limiting fossil fuel use, in addition to creating productive new jobs in the renewable energy sector," the Sierra Club wrote. "The passing of SB100 establishes California as a global leader in the environment, especially important as the federal government fails to commit to renewable energy."
But despite the obvious benefits, there are certain challenges the state will face and have to take into account.
Forbes elaborated:
California currently imports about 33 percent of its electricity from outside of the state. Of that 33 percent, 6 percent is from coal. This is compared to the 25 percent of energy imported into California in 2010 from outside states . . . . California will need to flip the trend in energy importing and begin to produce enough energy to become self-sustaining. Not an insignificant task.
"Imagine knowing that 28 years ago that Google, Facebook, Amazon, Uber, Lyft as well as the iPhone, were just around the corner. That is the kind of opportunity we have today, right here, in California, with clean energy," de León said, according to KPBS.
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