Amid all the hoopla of this week's election, several ballot initiatives for renewable energy were considered in a few states, with mixed results. Or so it would appear. Most were defeated due to dubious benefits, excessive costs, probable regulatory confusion, poorly constructed wording, or maybe all of the above. That shouldn't seem to be such an onerous outcome for renewable energy advocates.

Not that long ago a yes vote for any green energy question before the voters would have been considered  '"good" for the environment and a no vote, by definition, was, well, "bad." Maybe that's not true any longer. Even the headline of a Wall Street Journal environment blog fell into that trap when it characterized the votes as "Not So Green." The text was a little more nuanced.

For example, California,, the state with the most aggressive green energy goals in the country, defeated two green energy ballot questions by wide margins. Prop 7 proposed even more aggressive goals that appeared so unworkable and expensive, so much so, that an unusual coaltion of environmental groups, utilities and businesses banded together to oppose it. Prop 10 would have given the state bonding authority for $5 billion for renewable energy and natural gas vehicle infrastructure that was seen as a giveaway for T. Boone Pickens, who reportedly spent $3 millionn to get the question placed on the ballot.

One successful initiative was the creation of a renewable energy mandate in Missouri that would force utilites to gradually increase the amount of green energy to 15 percent of their total sales by 2021. Similar ballots questions have succeeded in Colorado and Washington state in recent years.

Finally, another question in Colorado failed that would have taxed oil and gas companies, and used those proceeds for energy efficiency and clean energy programs. A cost increase in an era of high prices, opponents said. Interestingly, a similar proposal bogged down energy legislation in Congress this year. Given the events of recent days, expect that debate to go national again next year, with improved chances for success.