Lung Health News, Spring / Summer 2002
Last year's energy "crisis " sparked a long--needed campaign to dramatically increase California's commitment to clean, renewable energy sources. The American Lung Association of California has been advocating to increase renewable energy and to reduce Californian's reliance on fossil fuels.
The association supports legislation that would establish a "renewable portfolio standard " for California. Senate Bill 532 (Sher, D-Stanford) would require 20 percent of California's electricity needs to be met through renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and geothermal, by 2010. That level would have to be maintained at least through 2020.
The bill passed the State Senate last year, but then stalled in the Assembly Energy Committee. The association will join with other groups for a renewed effort to move it to the Governor's desk. Governor Gray Davis has announced that he intends to sign the legislation.
In another effort to move toward cleaner and renewable energy sources, the association supported new regulations adopted by the California Air Resources Board in October 2001 to establish stringent air quality standards for local power generation units called "distributed generation " ((DG)and to provide incentives for renewable powered DG units.
The use of local power generation from diverse sources including solar panels, wind turbines, fuel cells and natural gas microturbines to meet the needs of businesses and public facilities is a growing trend in California and other states. Local power generation that utilizes the cleanest natural gas technologies or zero-polluting renewable technologies contributes to cleaner air and improved public health.
