Reading the Fine Print of Prop. H Reveals Dirty Secret

If you want to know why Prop. H is not the remedy for San Francisco’s power and clean energy needs, all you have to do is read the measure itself. Once you read it, you realize that the definition of “clean” in the measure is not what most experts agree is “clean energy.”

For example, in Section 8B.120 of the measure, it states that the energy generated by San Francisco’s Hetch Hetchy water system is “clean and reasonably priced.” There’s just one problem - under California’s new guidelines, hydro power is not considered a clean and renewable source of energy. That’s because of the tremendous cost to the environment of building water dams in the wilderness. Yet under Prop. H, it is considered “clean energy.”

The very definition of “clean energy” as defined by the measure is notoriously vague. Reading Section 8B.129, we read it loud and clear that the new definition of “clean energy” reads as follows: “For the purposes of this measure, (i) renewable and/or clean resources shall exclude nuclear power.” California state law, which regulates private utilities, has a very precise definition of what “clean energy” truly is and it certainly is not so vague as to allow for the potential use of hydro, natural gas or other polluting forms of energy production.

Voters in San Francisco are being asked to swap out enforceable, truly “clean energy” standards with the full force of California law with local standards that are completely unenforceable, and exempt San Francisco from the clean energy standards the state of California has ambitiously proposed for all other energy utilities.

Prop. H makes significant claims that it will help clean up our environment and provide for our electrical needs. Unfortunately, as the measure is written today, none of that will be enforceable if it passes. Voters should take the time to read the measure and find out for themselves what happens when “clean energy” really isn’t.