In November 2008, former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Executive Order S-14-08, which set a 33 percent renewable portfolio standard for California by 2020. On Tuesday, Jerry Brown was sworn in for a record fourth term as Governor of California and, during his inaugural speech, Governor Brown touched on California’s ambitious climate change policies, including a proposal for California to obtain 50 percent of its electricity from renewable resources within the next 15 years. Citing to AB 32, Governor Brown stated:
“We are well on our way to meeting our AB 32 goal of reducing carbon pollution and limiting the emissions of heat-trapping gases to 431 million tons by 2020. But now, it is time to establish our next set of objectives for 2030 and beyond.
Toward that end, I propose three ambitious goals to be accomplished within the next 15 years:
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Increase from one-third to 50 percent our electricity derived from renewable sources;
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Reduce today’s petroleum use in cars and trucks by up to 50 percent;
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Double the efficiency of existing buildings and make heating fuels cleaner.”