Environmental Victories

California voters upheld the state's global warming law on two fronts, rejecting a Republican candidate for governor who wanted to delay it while turning aside a referendum funded by oil companies that would have dismantled the measure for years to come. Democrat Jerry Brown is the projected winner over Republican Meg Whitman in the gubernatorial race.

Fred Krupp, president of Environmental Defense Fund, said the Prop 23 defeat sends "a big signal" to the rest of the country and the world that Californians stand firmly behind the law, which would cut greenhouse gas emissions in the state to 1990 levels by 2020. He called the level of cooperation between the fledgling clean-tech sector and environmental groups unprecedented, giving the "No on 23" campaign the street muscle and the money it needed to prevail.

"This is the largest referendum anywhere on the planet where people have directly voted on clean energy and climate policy," Krupp said in an interview. "It's the largest state in the country sending a clear message that they want a clean energy economy and clean energy jobs."

In Massachusetts Deval Patrick certainly ran on his environmental record, his support for Cape Wind, his support for RGGI, passing the Green Communities Act, the Global Warming Solutions Act, working aggressively to bring clean energy jobs to Massachusetts and his support for energy efficiency and solar power. 

By voting for Patrick, Massachusetts voters also demonstrated their desire for a clean energy future.