California's push to supersize its renewable energy standards could drive electricity rates higher for Northwest consumers, strain the west's transmission and hydroelectric systems, and create a host of thorny policy issues. The California Assembly passed a pair of bills Friday to create the nation's most aggressive renewable energy mandate. It would require utilities to meet one third of their customers' needs with green energy such as wind, solar and geothermal by 2020.

Shell Wind Energy's proposed wind turbine project for Bear River Ridge may be moving forward. Humboldt County Community Services Director Kirk Girard is recommending at Tuesday's meeting that the supervisors authorize hiring a consultant to prepare an environmental review. The company's project proposes installing about 30 wind turbines roughly six miles south of Ferndale.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office said Saturday that he would veto legislation requiring a third of California's energy to come from renewable sources by 2020, choosing instead to mandate the change through an executive order. The Democratic bills that passed the state Legislature just before the end of the legislative session Friday would have set up the most aggressive renewable energy standards in the nation. But they also sought to limit the amount of energy from sources such as wind, solar and geothermal that could come from out-of-state.

California lawmakers approved one of the world's most aggressive renewable-energy mandates early Saturday in legislation that would require the state's utilities to use renewable sources like the sun and wind to generate a third of the power they sell by 2020. The proposal is a centerpiece of the state's 2006 plan to combat climate change, which has broad public support. And although it's more aggressive than a similar federal proposal pending in Congress, the legislation could influence decisions in Washington.

Boulevard residents are upset about a proposed electric substation despite promises by San Diego Gas & Electric Co. officials that it will provide more reliable electricity for the backcountry. A 58-acre substation to be built near Jacumba would take electricity from wind projects in East County and northern Baja California and put it onto the Southwest Powerlink, a power-transmission line that runs along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Plans to build new wind generators stretching nearly 500 feet tall in unincorporated Kern County near Tehachapi are in the works, according to a report released by the county. A Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) outlines the proposed project, known as the Alta-Oak Creek Mojave Project, which would be constructed along approximately 9,300 acres near the Tehachapi-Mojave border. The Kern Count Planning commission is holding a public hearing to receive comments on the report on Nov. 12 at 7 p.m.

Two bills pending in the Legislature would force the state's electrical utilities to get 33 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2020, up from the current requirement of 20 percent by the end of 2010. ...But the details involved in reaching such an ambitious goal have touched off a complex debate, one that will probably reach its climax in the next week when the Assembly votes on one of the bills.

Despite the hoopla over renewable energy - media chatter, government rebates, neighbors who "go green" - the nuts and bolts of installing more Earth-friendly power sources often get stuck. San Diego County, for example, is wrestling with how to handle applications for using residential wind turbines. Critics say the approval process is confusing and drawn-out enough to discourage investment in green power, just as companies are moving to fill the home-windmill niche.

In May, 62 wind turbines started sending electricity from southern Washington state to the Turlock Irrigation District. Next year, a nearby wind project in northern Oregon will start supplying the Modesto Irrigation District. ...Outsourcing renewable power irks some activists. "It totally takes the focus off building our green-tech economy," said Laura Wisland, a clean energy analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists in Berkeley.

At the State Capitol, boosting the use of solar power, wind generators and other renewable energy sources is seen as a boon for both the environment and the economy in electricity-hungry California. But with two weeks left in the legislative session, Democrats are hustling to fulfill a commitment they made to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to pass a law to require all utilities to get a third of their power from "green" sources by 2020.

California's electric utilities have accepted that they'll be required to get a third of their power from renewable sources by 2020. Now, they are battling environmental and labor groups over where it's going to come from. Utilities say they can't meet the 2020 goal unless the state allows them relatively free access to renewable power generated far beyond the state's borders, in places like Wyoming and British Columbia.

The Tehama County Planning Commission Thursday approved a use permit for a series of 330-foot meteorological test towers outside Mineral. With use permits issued for as many as five towers to test the feasibility of installing wind turbines, Padoma Windpower has been granted the authority to build and keep the towers on Sierra Pacific land for as many as 36 months.

A recent National Academy of Sciences study predicts that significant scientific advances and changes in electricity generation, transmission and use are needed before the United States will be able to produce 50 percent of its energy needs from renewable sources. Four Siskiyou County residents involved with renewable energy and sustainability were asked to comment on the report. Without exception, they criticized the report as ignoring conservation, and they voiced support for localized renewable energy sources.

One controversial power line project through the north state has been halted, but state agencies, municipal utilities and power companies are studying other potential new north state lines. Examining how to connect the state to developing renewable power, the Renewable Energy Transmission Initiative (RETI) recently released a report that shows a potential new power transmission line running from the Oregon border through Shasta, Siskiyou and Tehama counties and south to Tracy.

A Crescent City wind ordinance seems to be as elusive as the breeze a turbine tries to catch. More than a year after the Planning Commission decided to write a new law that would allow small wind energy systems within city limits, the board delayed taking a final vote on the proposed guidelines to allow more time for revisions. "They have some lingering concerns about setbacks and noise," Crescent City Planner Michele Rambo said.

San Diego Gas & Electric Co. says it plans to build a substation in the southeast corner of the county that will allow it to increase its use of wind and solar power. The substation, to be built near Jacumba, will take electricity from wind projects in the mountains of East County and northern Baja California and put it onto the Southwest Powerlink.

A controversial new medical study gaining supporters claims living close to windmills can give you migraines and panic attacks. These windmills are at the center of a medical debate brought on by this controversial new study. Dr. Nina Pierpont in New York lists a dozen possible health problems ranging from migraines to panic attacks. She calls it "wind turbine syndrome." Spinning windmill blades allegedly cause a vibration we can't hear. ...Ear, nose and throat specialist Dr. Syed Ahsan at Eisenhower Medical Center weighs in.

Wind turbines may become part of the landscape among the high powered antennas out at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex in the future, but the project is on hold for now. Military officials are conducting tests due to concerns that the wind turbines may interfere with military activity in the area, according to Dennis Mullen, energy conservation manager at Goldstone.

Wind turbines should be producing power atop Hatchet Ridge overlooking Burney early next summer. Initially, the 44 planned turbines had been scheduled to start spinning by the end of the year, but an overhaul of the company planning the project has delayed it for six months, said George Hardie, senior developer for Pattern Energy Group.

A Washington wind farm that its developer calls “one of the premier wind sites in the Pacific Northwest” has been sold to a group of California utilities. ...Why is California buying made-in-Washington wind power? California has much higher electricity rates than Washington, so the wind power premium is proportionately cheaper.