To avoid blackouts, California Legislature approves plan to buy more wind energy

The California Legislature has voted to give Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration permission to buy massive amounts of electricity.

But so far, the state's largest utility companies have not been willing to commit to buying power from projects like those because it would cost too much money and take too long to build. In addition to building the wind turbines, the projects will require improvements at the state's ports and new power lines to transport the energy from the ocean to the land.

"This is a major, generational series of investments that need to happen, and there’s a real risk it won’t if we can’t provide more certainty," said Alex Jackson, director of American Clean Power Association, which represents the companies trying to build the wind projects.