SACRAMENTO — The California Assembly has advanced a bill that would prohibit public utilities from contracting with power plants that do not meet California's air pollution standards.
The bill introduced by Democratic Assemblyman V. Manuel Perez intends to deter the construction of power plants in Mexico that could pollute the air in California.
Perez says some power plants located in Mexico are in the same air basin as California.
Republicans opposed the plan, saying it would cause energy prices to skyrocket and companies to leave the state.
The U.S. currently imports energy from some power plants in Mexico. The bill would prevent contracts with new power plants, not existing ones.
The bill, AB 2037, passed on a 41-22 vote on Monday. It now moves to the Senate.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.