California passed legislation Tuesday that would make it the first large state to mandate completely carbon-free electricity generation, with a target of 2045.
If signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown, the bill would keep the nation’s most populous state at the forefront of environmental regulation trends and could have a big impact on electricity generation beyond California’s borders. In 2017, California imported roughly 30% of its electricity generation, according to state data.
Though the bill sets the most ambitious carbon-free goals in the nation, it doesn’t specify how California would get there. It would require utilities to transition gradually to electricity resources that don’t emit greenhouse-gas emissions, such as wind, solar, hydroelectric and nuclear power. The first target: 33% carbon-free power by the end of 2020. Utilities would then need to get 50% of their power from carbon-free resources by the end of 2026 before hitting the 100% goal 19 years later.
It passed the Assembly Tuesday evening by a vote of 43-33, according to the office of the chief clerk. It is now headed back to the Senate, which approved an earlier version of the bill, and is expected to pass again there before heading to Brown’s desk.
An expanded version of this report appears on WSJ.com.
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