Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Who Loves Prop. 7?

Reader Citizen G has been attempting, over email, to convince me that the Solar & Clean Energy Initiative on the November ballot is actually a good idea despite its organized opposition. And it's definitely true that basically all of the considerable funding against Prop. 7 has been provided by energy companies.

But here's the thing: as Ballotpedia lays out almost nobody is actually in favor of the measure. They list fewer than 10 prominent individuals supporting Prop. 7, but have a lengthy list of groups opposed. Notable opponents include:
  • 15 renewable energy companies (e.g., the American Wind Energy Association)
  • 9 environmental groups (e.g., the California League of Conservation Voters)
  • the California Democratic Party
So while it's no surprise that PG&E, the California Republican Party, and the California Chamber of Commerce oppose Proposition 7, the attribution of bad faith to all of these groups seems implausible, to say the least.

So where's the beef, here? Does any reputable group support the Solar & Clean Energy Initiative?

Update: Opponents of Prop. 7 lay out their objections here (pdf).

1 comment:

Bret said...

I'll repeat what I've said here before, as someone who is immersed in the nuts and bolts of clean energy every day: Prop 7 reads like a teenage love note, not a plan of action.

CALSEIA (California Solar Energy Industry Association) is a serious industry organization that usually weighs in on the logistical side of these types of proposals. As I expected, they wish they had more hands so they could give this proposal four thumbs down.

http://www.noprop7.com/downloads/Flawed_Initiative.pdf