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PG&E Spending Millions to Kill 'Green Economic Boom'

Pacific, Gas & Electric is spending millions of dollars in a desperate attempt to buy a local election here Nov. 4, and stop a "Green Economic" boom that will also make a major U.S. city energy independent despite dark economic times, charged Green Party elected officials and candidates.

The San Francisco Clean Energy Act, Proposition H, would create a groundbreaking clean energy standard using a mix of solar, wind and efficiency projects, and enable San Francisco to take community control of its energy future and adopt clean electricity mandates for the City of 51 percent by 2017, 75 percent by 2030 and 100 percent by 2040.

But, PG&E - which increasingly has spurned the use of clean, renewable sources and as a result have seen its rates skyrocket - is spending millions to confuse and defeat the measure.

"PG&E has flooded voters, using ratepayer dollars, with mailers and television and radio advertising making blatantly false claims about Prop. H," said Eric Brooks, chair of the Sustainability Working Group for the San Francisco Green Party.

And, San Francisco Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, a longtime Green, said: "San Franciscans deserve less waste of ratepayer dollars, more green energy, less misleading and hollow green marketing, and true accountability with regard to our city's renewable energy future. It's no wonder why PG&E is so scared."

Mirkarimi is joined in his endorsement of Prop. H by Mark Sanchez, San Francisco School Board president and Green Party candidate for San Francisco Supervisor, District 9.

Brooks said that the Proposition wouldn't cost ratepayers, and would result in "only one thing" for ratepayers in San Francisco during these difficult financial times: "a Green Jobs program for 100 percent clean electricity. PG&E's entire business model is based on selling us dirty electricity generated through expensive and (non-renewable) natural gas and nuclear power plants," added Brooks, noting that PG&E is raising rates a total of about 9 percent from October through next January.