The California Assembly passed a bill yesterday that would bar utilities from buying out-of-state power that fails to meet California's air quality standards.
The legislation, A.B. 2037, targets cross-border generation in Mexico and Arizona. It passed 41-22, on a party-line vote.
Bill sponsor Manuel Perez, a Democratic assemblyman from Southern California's desert region to the east of Palm Springs, said the measure would tighten rules governing energy contracts signed with companies pumping out emissions along the state's eastern and southern borders.
Uhhh, they probably don't need to sell y'all power - I'm sure there are plenty of non-loons who would buy it instead.
"Air emissions produced by power generation plants on the other side of the Calif. border create negative impacts on the air quality in the adjacent air basins/air sheds," Perez said in a fact sheet on the bill. "Current law does not prohibit a domestic utility company from importing power from power plants sited in locations that do not conform to our state's strong air quality standards."
Caliphornia - we're so swell we'll tell other states to emulate us! I'm sure they'll be grateful and follow your lead. (NOT)
Perez cited the high rate of particulate matter (PM) pollution in California's Imperial Valley, which is home to a number of renewable energy development sites.
Do tell. Why don't you get your power from them?
He said most of the region is below sea level and susceptible to accumulation of dust and PM from the burning of fossil fuels.
The bill requires power plants outside of California to adopt BACT standards and directs state and federal regulators to develop an offset scheme to apply to companies operating in a "shared" pollution area.
Y'all couldn't come up with something a little ambitious?
When Caliphornia runs out of power, the first place that should be cut off is Sacramento. The second should be San Francisco.
[From a proprietary newsletter, so no link. Will probably be in the CA papers soon.]