dKos: California Makes Climate Change History

[skids]

In an obscure policy decision late last week, the state of California's Public Utilities Commission approved a new set of rules for global warming pollution that are nothing short of revolutionary, will likely change the way America's largest and most economically vital state produces electricity, and could set the U.S. on a course to addressing, finally, our back-asswards energy system.

While it's a bit premature to sound the death knell for Old King Coal (who was, unquestionably, the target of California's assault), it's at least safe to take the old black suit to the cleaners in preparation for the King's wake.

http://dailykos.com/story/2005/10/10/131558/25

[sepia_steel]

1. This makes me very VERY happy.

thanks for posting.

[phantom power]

2. According to the author of that diary...

Callifornia will not be buying any dirty, coal-fired electricity from anyone from here on out. Give us renewables and efficiency first, second and third, and if you must, the cleanest, most high-tech coal facility - with carbon capture (a technology that doesn't exist yet) - but only if all other options have been exhausted.

But "all other options" will be exhausted quite quickly, since fossil fuels and nuclear account for about 97% of all energy today.

[skids]

4. Then they won't have options.

Because there's no such thing as a carbon-capture coal plant yet.

The 97% figure doesn't apply in California, FWIW. They have a whole lot of hydro.

[phantom power]

6. I assume this represents a committment to *priorities*

Otherwise, it would be making promises they can't keep. A genuine strict policy of "We'll only buy non-fossil power" is equivalent to saying "we're going to suddenly half the available power to California." (half is just my stand-in for whatever the fraction really is, but it's surely large)

A committment to always buying non-fossil, to whatever extent it is actually available, seems like a viable position.

[skids]

8. Conservation is precisely what they are doing.

People seem to forget that we use more power than we have to.

California has been actively working to reduce its power consumption. It now ranks 49th in the nation in per-capita electricity usage. Now
if they could just get a handle on all that immigration, they could hold demand steady or decrease it while switching technologies.

http://www.energy.ca.gov/electricity/consumption_by_sector.html

[NNadir]

7. Don't worry. The laws of thermodynamics can easily be repealed.

Legislatures are fond of doing that.

This is not something new. The legislature of Indiana, uncomfortable with irrational numbers, once voted to create a new value for pi.

[McKenzie]

3. step along what will be a long journey

with many cynical naysayers along the way. At least they are trying and one cannot trash them for trying to do what is urgently needed.

More power (sic) to their elbow...at least California is trying.

[jpak]

5. Holy Cow!!!!

Boy - if we had done this 30 years ago...

[hatrack]

9. Yeah, that thought's crossed my mind in the last few days, too

Too late now. It was much more fun to be part of Morning in America, I guess . . . :shrug: