Proponents say Prop. 7 will create hundreds of thousands of jobs. Isn’t that a good thing?
According to economists, Prop. 7 is likely lead to the loss of 174,000 jobs across all sectors of the California economy by 2025, because the measure will result in higher electric rates that would will job creation and economic growth. Furthermore, there isn’t a single provision in the text of Prop. 7 that prevents renewable power plants from being located out of state or even out of the country, which leads some to worry that the initiative could lead to out-migration of jobs.
Isn’t the coalition opposing just a front for utility companies?
No. Hundreds of broad and diverse organizations oppose Prop. 7 because it is so poorly written. Many of these organizations disagree with utilities on other issues, but have reached the same conclusion about Prop. 7. The fact that the state’s utilities also oppose Prop. 7 is less concerning than the fact that only a handful of individuals have agreed to support the measure.
Why is all the money coming from utilities?
Hundreds of diverse organizations oppose Prop. 7 and these groups are spending their time, resources and, in some cases, money to oppose the measure. Every group opposing Prop. 7 is doing what they can to educate their members and the voters to oppose. As stakeholders and experts in the energy market, utilities have a responsibility to educate their customers about any poorly written energy policy that will increase their energy bills and result in less, not more renewable power. We expect a number of organizations, businesses and individuals to contribute money or resources toward defeating this measure, including utilities, renewable power companies, small businesses, environmentalists and many others.
Is it possible for Prop. 7’s technical problems to be easily fixed?
No. In fact, it would take an unlikely 2/3 vote of the legislature to change ANY language in Prop. 7, and even then there are extreme restrictions on what could be changed. Or, it would take another costly ballot measure and vote of the people to fix the many flaws in Prop. 7. The best bet is to reject this deeply flawed, costly and anti-renewable measure at the ballot and work toward responsible, well-drafted measures that will actually result in more renewable power.
<< back <<
