California voters have rejected two campaigns for clean energy and alternative fuels, propositions 7 and 10, AP reports (via the Union-Tribune). Proposition 7 would have required utilities to generate half their electricity from renewable sources by 2025. Proposition 10 would have given Californians rebates of up to $50,000 to buy alternative fuel vehicles and would have set aside money for research.
Opponents, including the Sierra Club, said the measures would have driven up electricity rates, delayed the transition to clean power and put small renewable energy companies out of business.
They also warned the two propositions would tarnish the state's green image. Critics say the $5 billion bond measure would have steered taxpayer money to T. Boone Pickens, founder of Clean Energy Fuels Corp., which gave nearly $19 million to the bond initiative.
Californians rejecting green initiatives may seem odd as the state has some of the toughest green initiatives in the country. The state plans to curb its GHG emissions by 30 percent over the next 12 years. In addition, the state has issued tougher green standards for buildings, seeking to reduce energy consumption of buildings by 15 percent and to reduce water used for landscaping by 50 percent.
