Date of Award

Fall 2006

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Public Administration (MPA)

Abstract

California's Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) program is law passed in 2002 designed to stimulate renewable electricity generation in the state. It is compulsory and intended to produce a meaningful demand for renewables in California. It requires the utilities to increase their procurement of renewable electricity by at least one percent per year based on the prior year's sales with California procuring 20% of its energy from renewable sources by 2010.

With the increased environmental concerns of global warming, RPS has been acknowledged to be an active way in which California will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. However, California is several years into implementation of RPS, and the results are not as impressive as once thought.

RPS is not a new public policy. Despite a lack of federal activity in the arena of global warming or RPS, twenty-three states have enacted RPS laws on their accord. Is RPS driven by a moral obligation to the environment? Are the goals of California's RPS program attainable? Has the higher price tag of renewable energy development influenced RPS's implementation? These are a few of the questions to be considered.

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