Environmental groups joined Democratic state assemblyman Paul Krekorian at Cal State Northridge on Wednesday morning to challenge Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's issuing of an executive order that effectively overrides two renewable energy bills passed by the state legislature over the weekend.

The bills, AB 64 and AB 21, were sponsored by Krekorian and Democratic state senator Joe Simitian of Palo Alto, respectively.

"If the Governor continues to [act] by himself, without the input of environmental organizations or utility and business groups that supported [the bills], he could be in for a long ride," Krekorian's office said after the event.

Both the bills, which Schwarzenegger has promised to veto, and the executive order signed Tuesday mandate that 33 percent of California's energy demand be met by renewable energy sources by 2020.

The bills differ with the Governor's executive when it comes to the finer points, such as the question of what qualifies as "renewable" energy, and where that energy might originate. The state legislation passed this weekend essentially defines renewable energy as solar, wind, and small-scale hydropower, and limits the amount of renewable energy that could be purchased from other states in order to foster jobs creation in California.

Schwarzenegger objects particularly to the limit on interstate trade. "Not only would this stifle the competition, it also would drive up prices. It's also protectionism, and I'm totally against protectionist policies," he said as he issued his executive order Tuesday.

Proponents of the bills say the legislation has a built-in cost cap, and that utilities and consumers would not see an increase in price.

The Governor's plan, which emphasizes flexibility, does not explicitly exclude more controversial power sources like nuclear or large-scale hydropower from the renewable portfolio. It also allows for renewable energy credits to be purchased from states throughout the Western Interconnection. 

Critics of the executive order, which include the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Union of Concerned Scientists and the California Wind Energy Association, say the Governor's plan establishes lax standards and will fail to create clean-tech jobs for California.  

The bills were "a complete and well-rounded roadmap to improving California's sustainability for a generation," Krekorian's office said Wednesday. "They would have provided 21st Century green tech jobs while hopefully stabilizing rates in the future. The Governor's executive order will not get us to 33 percent by 2020. It falls short on numerous accounts."

Despite their disappointment in the Governor's move, Krekorian's office and some environmental groups remain willing to work with him on future legislation. 

Schwarzenegger has not technically issued the veto yet and has 27 days in which to reject the bills or approve them.