Calling it the most aggressive target in the nation, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed an executive order Monday calling for utilities to provide one-third of their power from renewable resources by 2020.
"Today is all about changing our goals and raising the bar," Schwarzenegger said.
Legislation will be drafted to put the 33 percent target into state law, to consider penalties for noncompliance, and to bolster the cost competitiveness of renewable energy, according to gubernatorial aides. The executive order directs state agencies to consider the goal in all permitting processes.
Incoming Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg lauded Schwarzenegger's executive order and predicted the incoming Legislature will pass legislation within 90 days after returning in January.
State law currently requires utilities to meet a goal of 20 percent by 2010.
Last year, about 12 percent of all California's electricity came from wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, small hydroelectric and other renewable resources.
Schwarzenegger also signed a separate agreement Monday in which the California Energy Commission and the Department of Fish and Game will jointly expedite permits for renewable energy projects.
The two state agencies will create a "one-stop" process of concurrent review with the goal of cutting in half the time needed to process applications.
They also will work with two federal agencies - Bureau of Land Management and Fish and Wildlife Service - to expedite renewable energy projects on federally owned California land, including land in the Mojave and Colorado desert regions.
Schwarzenegger said his goal is to speed-up processing while maintaining environmental protections.
