CHRIS STROHM
A reporter for CongressDaily [subscription required] who has been writing about initiatives on the ballot in Tuesday’s election, Strohm said today: “There are initiatives on a wide variety of issues including Michigan Proposal 2, which would repeal a ban and allow government funding of stem-cell research, and Montana Initiative 555, which would give health insurance to all kids in Montana.

“But perhaps the most far-reaching initiatives in this election have to do with energy policy. California Proposition 10, mainly financed by a company owned by Texas oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens, would authorize $5 billion in taxpayer bonds to give consumers rebates for buying vehicles that run on alternative fuels, primarily natural gas. Critics say the total cost would be $10 billion with interest. The initiative has heavy opposition from environmental groups to business associations. They say it’s a giveaway to Pickens’ company, Clean Energy Fuels Corp., and would actually be a setback for alternative fuels.

“Similarly, California Proposition 7 would require all utilities, including government-owned utilities, to generate 20 percent of their power from renewable energy by 2010, 40 percent by 2020 and 50 percent by 2025. It has heavy opposition from environmental, labor and business groups, who say it is so poorly written that it could in fact be a major setback.

“In contrast, Missouri Proposition C would require utility companies to gradually increase their usage of renewable energy annually until 15 percent of the energy used in the state is renewable. Advocates say the campaign for Proposition C, unlike California Proposition 7, was organized in a very inclusive manner and therefore has not generated much opposition. It is expected to pass and advance the cause for renewable energy.”

For further information on initiatives, see: ballotpedia.org.

For more information, contact at the Institute for Public Accuracy:
Sam Husseini, (202) 347-0020; or David Zupan, (541) 484-9167