A new bill going around the California state legislature would see the creation of wind turbines on the coast of California. Although California has led the way on many new environmental technologies and renewable energy, it currently has no offshore wind capacity. Environmentalist, labor, and industrial groups have come together to promote a bill that would require 3,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2030. They aim to increase it to 10,000 megawatts by 2040. That would be double the current electrical generation of all wind farms in California. David Chiu, an assemblyman from San Francisco, leads the effort to pass the bill. He told constituents that the “wind off California’s coast has enormous potential to meet clean energy goals, combat climate change, and provide good paying jobs.” 

This seems like a promising development. Political attention and political capital is being paid to the creation of more alternative energy sources to get the state off gas and oil. However, I do think it is important to make sure that the state is promoting the most effective solution, rather than a random hodgepodge of different proposals. An organized plan for alternative energy is important to make sure that we are fighting climate change the best and fastest way, and so we are not spending exorbitant sums of money unnecessarily that could go to other social programs or stay in households. While I applaud the efforts of individual congresspeople to work for more renewable energy sources, it seems like it would be best if the government supported a comprehensive plan for renewable energy in the state.