AS I REPORTED back in March, it didn’t take long for “renewable energy businessman” Sen. Tony Strickland (R-Moorpark) to dodge a vote on a renewable energy bill. That bill, SB 14, would require investor-owned utilities to receive one-third of their power from renewable energy sources by 2020.

Well he’s gone and done it again.

This time he failed to vote in committee on AB 920, a bill which would provide incentives for customers to use wind or solar energy systems. According to the proposed legislation by Assembly member Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael):

The author believes this will encourage homeowners and businesses to conserve more electricity (and thus have more surplus power they can sell to the utility) and will allow property owners to install the maximum number of solar panels on their home.

Strickland justified his “renewable energy” ballot designation during his campaign against Democrat Hannah-Beth Jackson by his partnership in a wave energy company formed around the same time he decided to run in a green-leaning district. And here’s a quote straight off his senate web page:

“I am working with Democrats and Republicans to transition California

to a renewable, more energy efficient economy to jumpstart the economy,

reduce our dependence on foreign oil, improve the environment, and

lower energy prices.”
-Senator Tony Strickland

So why then would Strickland take a walk on two important renewable energy bills? When questioning why politicians do what they do it is always wise to find out who supports or opposes a particular bill. AB 920 and SB 14 are opposed by Pacific Gas & Electric, which donated $1,250 to Tony Strickland’s state senate campaign, $5,600 to Strickland’s controller’s race and $5,000 to his 2002 Assembly race, according to the very handy online site followthemoney.org.

Strickland’s wife, Assembly member Audra Strickland, just plain voted against AB 920, so I will give her some credit for not being dodgy. I would ideally like to give Tony some credit, too, for his package of renewable energy legislation introduced a few months ago, which largely consisted of tax credits, continuing his no-revenue mantra.

But he is not consistent in backing renewable energy legislation, especially that opposed by his donors, and this highlights his credibility problem.

IN A BIT OF RELATED NEWS: According to the Mendocino Beacon it would seem Strickland’s fledging wave energy company GreenWave, which is still in the preliminary permit phase and hasn’t done much of anything yet, is one of the few left standing with  proposed projects off the California coast.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company  and California Wave Energy Partners recently pulled projects, according to the Beacon. GreenWave’s application has riled the locals up there with “more interveners and more people commenting than any other hydrokinetic project in the nation,” the Beacon writes.

Marie Lakin is a community activist and writes the Making Waves blog for the Ventura County Star