Mayor Edwin M. Lee today issued the following statement on Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. signing legislation requiring 33 percent of the State’s electricity to come from renewable energy by the end of 2020:

“Today Governor Brown signed legislation that will raise California’s renewable energy target from 20 percent to 33 percent by 2020.  This is a significant and important action that will accelerate statewide reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, as well as reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

San Francisco has long recognized the critical importance of reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and using renewable energy to meet our energy needs. The City operates some of the largest municipal solar installations in the nation at the Sunset Reservoir and the Moscone Center, leads the Bay Area in residential and commercial solar installations, and is aggressively pursuing other renewable energy technologies such as wave power and urban wind.  California’s new 33 percent renewable portfolio standard (RPS)the largest of any state in the nationwill provide a tremendous boost to the City’s efforts to become 100% renewably powered and to the State’s leadership in promoting the green energy economy.”