SACRAMENTO – Building on the pro-renewable energy goals attained during last year’s legislative session, Assemblymember Lloyd Levine (D-Van Nuys) has introduced Assembly Bill 94, which would require retail sellers of electricity to procure 33 percent of their retail sales from renewable power by 2020.

“Increasing California’s reliance on renewable energy is a major achievement for everyone that lives and works in this state,” said Assemblymember Levine, who continues his service as Chair of the Assembly’s Utilities and Commerce Committee this session. “The benefits of this legislation are innumerable – the more we rely on renewable sources of energy, the more we stabilize electricity prices. Additionally, renewable energy resources stimulate sustainable economic development, create new employment opportunities, and reduce our reliance on imported fuels.

“And in a year when healthcare promises to be a central issue for the Legislature and the Governor, the delivery of electricity generated by renewable resources will reduce air pollution throughout the state because of the decreased need to burn fossil fuels,” Levine continued. “This will improve public health while simultaneously improving environmental quality.”

Levine’s legislation builds on the momentum created during last year’s session by Senate Bill 107 by Senator Don Perata (D-Alameda), which Levine co-authored. The bill established the Renewable Energy Resources Program and called for 20 percent of total electricity sold to customers in California to come from eligible renewable energy sources by 2010.