Web exclusive posted Nov. 24, 2008 at 2:47 p.m. CST

On Nov. 17, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed off on an executive order to increase the state's Renewable Portfolio Standard, once again setting the bar for other states to follow.

California's previous RPS was already the most stringent in the country, demanding that state utilities generate at least 20 percent of their energy from renewable resources by 2010. The latest version increases that to 33 percent by 2020. Schwarzenegger said it's an aggressive target and will require a new look at some of the state's environmental regulations in order to achieve the goal. "This executive order will clear the red tape for renewable projects and streamline the permitting and siting of new plants and transmission lines," he said. "With this investment in renewable energy projects, California has a bright energy future ahead that will help us fight climate change while driving our state's green economy."

Acceptable forms of renewable sources for the state's standard include biomass, solar, wind, anaerobic digestion and landfill gas. The California Energy Commission is charged with implementing the program and plans to create a "one-stop" permitting process in order to reduce the application time for proposed projects. Among the current pending projects are several that involve biomass-based energy production which are scheduled to go on line by the end of 2009. A complete list of existing and pending projects can be viewed at www.cpuc.ca.gov/puc/energy/electric/renewableenergy/.

As of November, 28 states have enacted some type of RPS and several more states have set renewable energy goals. Missouri was the most recent state to pass a renewable energy mandate that will now require its state utilities to produce 15 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2021.