Californians Reject Proposition 10, The Pickens (Personal Enrichment) Plan

California voters have roundly rejected a $5 billion alternative energy proposal that was largely a front for the natural gas interests of Texas billionaire T. Boone Pickens.
The measure would have given Californians rebates to purchase alternative fuel vehicles and funded alternative energy projects and research. It failed despite a $23.5 million "Yes on Prop 10" campaign funded primarily by Pickens' Clean Energy Fuels Corporation, as well as Chesapeake Energy and its owner Aubrey McClendon. The "No on Prop 10" campaign spent $170,000.
According to a "No on Prop 10" newswire:
"California voters didn't fall for a Texas oil tycoon's $10 billion money grab, no matter how much he spent camouflaging it as green," stated Richard Holober, spokesman for the No on Prop 10 campaign, and Executive Director of the Consumer Federation of California. "Proposition 10 is the ultimate example of a wealthy special interest abusing the ballot initiative process to enrich itself. We built a coalition of major environmental, consumer, business, labor, taxpayer and civic organizations that triumphed over Prop 10's $23 million war chest. The defeat of Prop 10 sends a signal that California's ballot initiative process is not for sale to the highest bidder."
As SolveClimate reported last week, most of the money generated by the bill would have advanced Pickens' agenda for natural gas-powered automobiles:
The main thing the measure does is authorize California to issue $5 billion in state bonds, and make $3 billion of the proceeds available in the form of rebates for alternative fuel vehicles -- i.e. natural gas vehicles. After accruing interest, the bonds will cost California taxpayers $10 billion over the next 30 years -- all so Boone Pickens can get help from citizens in a state where he is not resident to create the need for the natural gas filling stations CLNE [Clean Energy Fuels Corporation] is in the business of building.
The Los Angeles Times called the now-dead proposal a reprehensible scam.
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