Million Solar Roofs Bill Passes Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee

[jpak]

http://www.solarbuzz.com/News/NewsNAGO259.htm

The Million Solar Roofs bill, SB 1, cleared Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee yesterday afternoon, marking what advocates called the “highest hurdle to date” in a three year battle to pass the nation’s strongest solar power bill.

The popular solar bill, which failed to pass this same committee last year, received votes from both Democrats and Republicans, demonstrating bi-partisan support for the bill. Co-authored by Senator Kevin Murray (D-Los Angeles) and Senator John Campbell (R-Orange County) and recently joined by Committee Chairman Assemblymember Lloyd Levine (D-Van Nuys) as a primary co-author, the Million Solar Roofs bill promises to grow the California solar market, already the third largest in the world, by 30-fold, lowering the cost of solar power and bringing clean air and energy independence to the state.

SB 1 is officially endorsed by Governor Schwarzenegger as well as a list of more than 50 businesses, environmental and consumer organizations, cities, and labor unions.

“After three years of fighting for the nation’s biggest solar bill, today’s vote marks our greatest accomplishment to date,” said Bernadette Del Chiaro, Clean Energy Advocate with Environment California who has been working to pass the solar bill since 2003. “This is, hands down, the biggest environmental bill of the year, and with continued leadership in the Assembly, this can be the year California shows the world just how serious we are about solving our energy and air pollution problems by turning our abundant sunshine into clean, affordable and reliable energy.”

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edit: Woo Hoo!