November 3, 2004

 
The Honorable Arnold Schwarzenegger
Governor of California
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814

 
Dear Governor Schwarzenegger,

California Interfaith Power and Light is deeply disappointment with your veto of AB 1478, which would have increased Californiaís renewable energy portfolio to 20% by 2010. We were especially dismayed because you had stated your support for this policy, and beyond that, ramping up to 33% renewable energy by 2020.

California Interfaith Power and Light represents 300 religious congregations and institutions in California, and reaches thousands of others through our network. Our congregations work to be good stewards of Creation by using energy efficiently and encouraging their congregants to do so as well. We believe that protecting the environment and halting global warming are our moral responsibility. We are active in supporting policies that accomplish our goals, and had held out great hope for your administration based on your strong statements in support of clean energy.

California is at a critical energy crossroads. We can either continue to rely on dirty, unreliable and unsustainable energy sources such as coal and nuclear power, or we can choose to take the smart energy path of clean, affordable and renewable energy resources such as solar, wind and geothermal.

As the effects of global warming intensify, California has at stake everything from increases in health problems like asthma and lung disease to scarcity of water due to major climate changes. SB 1478 would have addressed the global warming problem by speeding up the switchover to and increasing the amount of renewable energy used in California.

Transitioning to cleaner sources of energy will help curtail global warming by dramatically reducing CO2 emissions. Moreover, investing more in renewable energy will stimulate the economy by creating new jobs and putting California at the forefront of the rapidly growing clean energy industry. By switching to renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and geothermal, California moves toward self-sufficiency and away from dependence on out-of-state energy brokers.

We urge you to keep your pledge to increase renewable energy in California and improve our environment.

We would appreciate a letter of response.

Sincerely,

 
Thomas A. Bourne
Executive Director

Cc: Terrance A. Tamminem, Secretary, CalEPA