News

Budget agreement opens the door to extending the life of fossil fuel generation and misses the mark on creating a more reliable, clean and affordable grid system

SACRAMENTO, June 30, 2022 — Today, national business group Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) responded to the California Legislature’s passage late Wednesday of new budget trailer bills that include billions of dollars for clean energy and transportation investments while also allowing aging fossil fuel power plants to keep running longer beyond planned retirement. 

WASHINGTON, June 14, 2022 – Today, national business association Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) joined with public utilities and privately owned power generators in filing a motion to intervene in the U.S. Court of Appeals case Ohio v. EPA with the intent of defending the Biden Administration’s reinstatement of California’s long-standing Clean Air Act waiver. That waiver allows the state to set vehicle emissions standards that are more protective of public health than federal standards, and to implement zero-emissions standards for light-duty vehicles, both of which other states are allowed to adopt as well.

Legislation to speed up the transition to electric school buses now moves to the state Senate

SACRAMENTO, June 1, 2022 – California's Clean and Healthy School Bus Act (AB 2731) was approved 57-0 by California’s State Assembly last week, a major step toward speeding up the transition to zero-emission school buses that save schools money and don’t harm young lungs. 

Proposed by Assemblymember Phil Ting (District 19) and sponsored by AEE, AB 2731 is designed to help school districts access the long-term economic benefits of switching to zero-emission school buses by allowing for longer vehicle lease terms, as well as setting a 2035 statewide Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) school bus sales goal. California currently caps lease terms for contracted school buses at five years. Extending the lease terms to 15 years would substantially improve the economics of transitioning to electric school buses for school districts. 

Fox40 Sacramento detailed California's proposal to improve grid reliability as the state continues to deal with potential blackouts, quoting AEE's Emilie Olson on how clean energy solutions can help . Read snippets below and watch the segment here.

In his revised budget proposal for the next fiscal year, Gov. Gavin Newsom is hoping to improve the electrical grid by spending more than $5 billion to increase the state’s production capacity by 5,000 megawatts over the next few years — or enough energy to power roughly 375,000 homes.

S&P Global quoted AEE's Amisha Rai on Governor Newsom's $8 billion proposal for new investments in clean energy and transportation. Read snippets below and the full article here.

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Jan. 10 pitched more than $8 billion in new investments into clean energy and transportation as part of California's budget, citing the need to decarbonize the Golden State's economy and keep climate change in check while developing new business opportunities.

Californians also support Congress passing an infrastructure bill to help electrify transportation and modernize California’s energy infrastructure

SACRAMENTO, September 8, 2021 – Efforts to electrify California’s transportation are welcomed by a majority of residents, according to a new statewide poll conducted by YouGov for Advanced Energy Economy Institute, a nonprofit educational affiliate of national business group Advanced Energy Economy (AEE).

51 percent of California residents say they approve of Governor Gavin Newsom’s executive order that would require all new passenger cars and trucks sold in California to be zero-emission by 2035. Only 29 percent of California residents say they disapprove of the order, and 20 percent remain unsure.