Governor Schwarzenegger formally announced his Million Solar Homes Initiative on August 20. This bold policy would do much to bring solar into the mainstream, and your emails were instrumental in moving this plan forward--nearly 10,000 emails were sent in support. Many thanks for your efforts.

However, the game is not over yet. The bill (SB 199) is sponsored by Senator Kevin Murray (D-Los Angeles), and the focus has moved to the Assembly. Your help is now needed to get it get it passed through the Assembly and Senate so the Governor can sign the bill this year.

Please take a moment to send another email as provided below.

In brief, the initiative would provide incentives for a million solar homes by 2017. It’s a visionary and monumental piece of policy-making, with immediate benefits for the environment and ratepayers, and far-reaching effects for our renewable future. A million solar homes would:

* Provide more than 2,700 megawatts of solar power, equal to 36 costly and polluting peaking power plants;

* Save all ratepayers $2-5 billion dollars by reducing the need to purchase expensive power during periods of high demand;

* Help diversify California’s energy portfolio, reducing vulnerability to volatile fossil fuel markets;

* Reduce energy demand during the hot summer afternoons, the time of day California continually faces energy shortages;

* Prevent 50 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions, a global warming gas.

Our friends at Environment California have set up a way for Californians to communicate their support for the bill directly to their representatives.

Colorado’s efforts to pass a renewable portfolio standard for the state have been stymied in the legislature for several years running, so local proponents are now taking the cause directly to the people with a ballot initiative. This effort is extremely important for two reasons:

First, it is a huge shot in the arm for solar. It would require the state’s power companies to procure 10% of the state’s energy from renewable resources, and 4% of that must come from solar. This would equal about 122 MW of solar by 2015, in itself doubling the US’s 2003 total market, and helping to bring the technology into the mainstream.

Secondly, this effort represents the first statewide referendum on renewable energy. A loss or a win would have huge ramifications for other efforts across the nation. Though polling shows that 75% of likely voters support the initiative, one of the nation's biggest power companies, Xcel Energy, has recently announced its opposition, and press reports indicate that opponents are preparing to spend around $8-10 million to defeat it.

Don't let the fossil fuel oligarchy pervert the will of the people once again. Right now the organizer’s are asking you to sign their petition, please do so below. And for more information, see: www.RenewableEnergyYES.com

David Hochschild

Adam Browning

JP Ross