California's Proposition 9 defeated

Electricity deregulation will continue as planned in California. Proposition Nine, an initiative to roll back much of the deregulation, was soundly defeated by voters on Election Day last month. Californians voted on November 3 by almost three to one to defeat the measure. The backers of Proposition Nine argued that deregulation was bad for the environment and for electricity customers and should be reversed. Renewables advocates were split on whether or not to support the measure -- with some arguing that the market for wind was more active following deregulation than for years (Windpower Monthly, November 1998). The campaign was noted for the huge amounts of money poured into defeating Proposition Nine -- upwards of $40 million compared with a scant $1.4 million raised by its supporters.