California Governor Jerry Brown is fighting to continue the surcharge California residents pay each month on their electricity bill. If it is not approved by September 9, that surcharge will go away, according to the Ventura County Star.

The paper says Governor Brown says wants to extend the surcharge because it provides low-cost financing for energy-efficient projects.

The surcharge was created in the mid-1990s when policymakers feared the deregulation of energy in California would cause an end to energy-efficiency research.

Last year, the surcharge, known as the "public goods charge," generated more than $400 million for energy research funding, says the paper.

Brown not only wants the public goods charge to continue to finance renewable energy research, he also sees the charge as a way to fund jobs and projects to fight pollution.

It is a common misconception by policymakers that funding can either go to jobs or the environment. Governor Brown has reworked the public goods charge to fund both. Having a strong green economy is the best way to help California escape from it's unemployment crisis, according to the San Francisco Chroncle.