How the California Electricity Crisis Generated a Green Wave: An Insider's Account [Hardcover]

1. Prosperity Fades into a Power Crisis? 2. The Deregulation that Paved the Way to Disaster? 3. The State Takes Over as the Market Implodes??4. Going It Alone: California Gets a Cold Shoulder from the White House?and the FERC??5. Cleaning Up and Looking Ahead: The Renewable Energy Hedge?Takes Shape??6. Davis Demise and Arnolds Rise: Schwarzenegger Touts Deregulation?and?Green Energy??7. The Global Warming Solutions Act Puts a Capstone on a Tumultuous?Ten-Year Transformation??8. The End of a Foundational Green Decade and the Beginning of a Challenging?Path Forward

This book provides the definitive account of a decade-long transformation of energy policy in California with rippling consequences. It will be a must-read for energy policy makers, researchers, and environmental historians.

This book provides the definitive account of a decade-long transformation of energy policy in California with rippling consequences. The author, a state government insider during much of this period, tells a story informed by personal experience, access to the key actors of the time (both then and now), and extensive research.

Californias risky experiment in deregulating the states electricity market in the 1990s, resulting in manipulation from unscrupulous energy providers and necessitating government action, laid the foundation for a greener grid and greater energy efficiency in the early 2000s and beyond. The book follows the states energy journey through Democratic Governor Gray Daviss administration and his Republican successor Arnold Schwarzeneggers time in office, providing a detailed behind-the-scenes account. It highlights how this period influenced broader discussions of energy policy in the U.S., culminating in President Barack Obama pledging bold action and securing $90 billion for clean energy programs in the 2009 stimulus bill, the largest single green investment in history alc2