SB100

New York has been graced with strong sun and whipping winds that electricity companies have harnessed for renewable energy in the past several years. The state has seen a 6,548% increase in the amount of energy it gets from the sun and a 473% increase in wind power production since 2007, according to a report released by the Environment New York Research & Policy Center.

Key findings from the current survey:

• Strong majorities of California adults (72%) and likely voters (66%) favor the new state law mandating reductions in greenhouse gas emissions; 56% of adults and 49% of likely voters support the state’s cap-and-trade program.
• Half of Californians believe state climate policies will lead to more jobs, while most (54%) expect gas prices to rise.
• Overall job approval is low in California for both the president and Congress; state leaders fare much better, and their approval ratings on environmental issues have risen.

• Wind energy development and construction rose 40% in the second quarter compared to the same time last year, according to a new report from the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). 
• Nationwide, 29 wind projects with a combined capacity of 3,841 MW began construction in Q2, bringing the total to 25,819 MW of wind projects in various phases of construction, 7,500 MW more than the end of Q2 2016. 

Multinational banking giant JPMorgan Chase has announced it is committing to sourcing 100% of its energy needs from renewable energy by 2020 and a promise to facilitate $200 billion in clean financing through 2025.

President Donald Trump argued Thursday that the Paris climate agreement was a raw deal for America -- one that would kill jobs across the country. What he didn't say was that the accord supports solutions like wind energy, which incentivize US business to invest in energy projects that largely benefit his base of rural Republicans.

President Donald Trump took office vowing to revive the coal industry’s fortunes. So far, the smart money has been on clean energy.
An index of 40 publicly-traded solar companies, wind-turbine component makers and others that benefit from reduced fossil fuel consumption is up 20 percent this year. That’s more than double the S&P 500’s 9.8 percent gain. And better than the 8.3 percent rise by an index of leading coal companies.

Kevin de León and Jerry Brown are determined to show the world that California's energy future will not be dictated by the sitting president.

A key vote this week in Sacramento has moved California closer than most people could imagine to a future in which all electricity — 100 percent of it — is produced without releasing more carbon into the air. When Senate President Pro Tem Kevin De León proposed the bill, many viewed it as aspirational. Now, it could actually become the law of the land.