Colorado Passes Renewable-Energy Initiative

"Colorado voters approved Amendment 37 yesterday, marking the first statewide renewable-energy portfolio standard in the U.S. to come directly from a popular vote rather than through the legislature. The state's largest utilities will now be required to generate 3 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2007, and 10 percent by 2015. The ballot initiative got a thumbs-up from about 53 percent of the state's electorate. Sixteen other state legislatures have passed renewable-energy targets for utilities; Colorado's legislature had rejected such targets four times."