by Wade Wade Crowfoot
Political Director, Environmental Defense Fund
I join millions of Californians in celebrating the defeat of the dirty energy ballot initiative, Proposition 23. While not quite as raucous as the World Series victory (Go Giants!), the defeat of two Texas oil companies was just as sweet. The result couldn’t be clearer: Californians overwhelming rejected Prop 23 and voted for a clean energy future.
By rejecting Prop 23, Californians voiced their support for economic expansion in the booming clean 
tech sector and improved air quality and public health. By supporting the implementation of the landmark AB 32 clean energy law, California will be able to pioneer a range of pollution reduction measures that spur cleaner energy technology. It’s a true win-win situation for a state with 12.5% unemployment and in which 91% of residents live in a county with substandard air quality.
AB 32 also helps ensure the United States can compete with China and the European Union, countries that are aggressively pursuing this booming market. In 2010, the market was $10 billion. By 2020, it will reach $80 billion, becoming the world’s third-largest industrial sector.
Darkest before Dawn – Earlier this year, climate deniers and a few bad actors in the oil industry from Texas took aim at