This month, California took a major step forward towards tackling the climate crisis, by establishing ambitious goals for a new source of clean energy – offshore wind – as required by a law I authored during my last year in the Legislature.
We’ve already seen a preview of the future havoc climate change will wreak – in the form of heat waves, wildfires, droughts and rolling blackouts. California has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to access one of the world’s greatest untapped sources of 100% clean, renewable energy, in the form of wind 20-30 miles off our coast.
My AB 525 law jumpstarts our state’s offshore wind industry, by among other things, requiring the California Energy Commission to establish offshore wind targets for our state. I’m grateful to the Commission for voting this month to establish the largest goal of any state in our country – 25 gigawatts by 2045 – which could power 25 million California homes by mid-century.
Offshore wind will support our state’s transition to a new, clean and green energy source, while putting thousands of Californians into high-skilled, well-paying jobs. This renewable energy source will diversify our energy portfolio, stabilize grid reliability, and complement California’s solar fleet by day with wind power through the night.
Now is the time for California to act boldly and lead, as President Biden has just signed into law the largest investment in clean energy in U.S. history. In the future, I believe that we’ll look back on this moment as a critical milestone in our efforts to combat climate change.
I am grateful to the California Energy Commission, as well as the tremendous coalition of environmental, labor, and clean energy advocates and organizations who have shared the vision of offshore wind and worked to pass our historic AB 525 law.
Please check out the Chronicle piece if you’re interested in learning more about offshore wind.
I look forward to our continued journey to save the planet together.