Elissa V.
As the dust settles after the election and Americans prepare for new leadership, the acceptance and rejection of certain ballot propositions has been another major indicator of the national mindset. In particular, the green state of California saw two substantial renewable energy initiatives shot down by residents who believed them to be not only misguided and ineffective, but corrupt as well.
One of the initiatives, Proposition 7, was aimed at doubling renewable-energy targets to 40 percent by 2020 and requiring 50 percent of the state's electricity come from renewable sources by 2025. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is in favor of a 33 percent target, but stops short of supporting all of the initiative's stipulations.
"The biggest culprit in global warming is electricity generation, and the public gets that," said Jim Gonzalez, a former San Francisco supervisor who helped draft the ballot initiative for John G. and Peter Sperling, the father and son who founded the University of Phoenix and are each worth hundreds of millions of dollars. "The public wants to do something on a large scale," Mr. Gonzalez said. "The public recognizes the urgency even though the institutional organizations don't." - The New York Times
However, opponents of the proposition were concerned that the initiative would drastically increase electricity rates and hinder the state's current progress on clean energy. Both environmentalists and public utilities workers stood their ground, and 65 percent of Californians voted against the measure.
Proposition 10 also saw 60 percent of voters tick the "no" box on Election Day, most likely the result of the dire state of the economy, but also because of a lack of support from environmental groups. The initiative claimed it would provide $2.5 billion in rebates for buyers of alternative-fuel vehicles, as well as $340 million more in rebates for highly fuel-efficient vehicles like the Toyota Prius. Opponents, however, saw it as a financial burden that would crush an already weary American taxpayer. They also believed the only person who would truly benefit from this measure would have been T. Boone Pickens, the former oil magnate and majority shareholder in Clean Energy Fuels.
Responding to the criticism, Todd Campbell, Clean Energy's public policy director, told the A.P. that Proposition 10 is designed to "create a market for low-carbon fuel vehicles" and that there is no guarantee the company would benefit. "I don't think it's a given that Clean Energy is going to cash in," Mr. Campbell said. "I wish it were that simple." - The New York Times
The real question is what this means for energy initiatives in the United States. There's no doubt that green energy creates jobs, and that is a cornerstone to President-Elect Barack Obama's environmental and economic policies. But if energy initiatives like these don't even appeal to environmentalists, there are valid reasons why. As Americans become more educated about the environment, government leaders will have their hands full separating needed changes from special interests when creating green policies in the future.
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