Capitol Voice October 2023

By Michael Blenner

While the legislative session may be over, there are still some great opportunities over the next few months for environmental advocates to stay engaged and plan for the coming year.

Later this month, on Tuesday, October 24th from 12pm PT to 12:45pm PT, Sierra Club California will be hosting a Letter to the Editor (LTE) Training for our members and supporters. The training will cover what the basics of an LTE are, how you can identify opportunities to write one, and the best practices for getting your LTE published. Register to attend here! The training is free, and will be recorded and posted on our website for those unavailable to attend.

In November, Sierra Club California will hold its annual summit. This year’s event, “The Fierce Urgency of Now” will be held on November 4th, from 9:30am to 1:30pm PT. Registration is now open to the public. Speakers including Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, Sierra Club California Director Brandon Dawson, and other environmental activists throughout California will discuss issues such as clean energy, air quality, and the SB 1137 referendum. You can find the full agenda, speakers list, and submission forms for questions to speakers on our website here. The suggested ticket cost is $20, and if you’d like to attend without donating, please email ruizmaryann@gmail.com.

We hope you can join us at one or both of these upcoming events. As always, keep an eye on your inbox and Sierra Club California’s social media channels for other local and statewide advocacy events that we’ll be promoting through the rest of the year.
 

By Erin Woolley

Last week, after more than 10 years of planning, the State Water Board released the Staff Report in support of the Sacramento/Delta Update to the Bay Delta Water Quality Control Plan (Bay Delta Plan). The Report proposes and analyzes updated water quality objectives for the Sacramento River and North Delta portion of the Bay Delta Plan. It also builds upon the 2018 framework and Phase 1 update, in which the Board adopted updated flow objectives for the San Joaquin River and South Delta. 

The Bay Delta watershed provides an important habitat for imperiled fish and wildlife, is the source water supply for more than half of California residents, and supports numerous industries, including fishing, agriculture, and recreation. Unfortunately, the health of the Bay Delta ecosystem has been declining for decades, which has put the ecosystem that depends on it at risk. 

Increasingly worse harmful algal blooms, new proposals to increase freshwater diversions, and rising temperatures all contribute to worsening water quality and the precipitous decline of salmon and other fish native to the ecosystem. After years of drought, low river flows, high water temperatures, and massive fish kills, the situation has become so acute that the commercial and recreational Salmon fishery was closed this year, for just the third time in California history.

The Bay Delta Plan - a requirement of the federal Clean Water Act - is intended to protect water quality in the Bay Delta and its tributaries. The Plan aims to ensure that the water can be used to support designated beneficial uses, however, it hasn’t been meaningfully updated in over 20 years. The outdated Plan fails to protect water quality or provide adequate protection for freshwater flows needed to maintain a healthy Bay Delta ecosystem. Updated, scientifically-supported standards are needed to provide for the recovery and long-term sustainability of a healthy Bay-Delta.

Sierra Club California will be evaluating the Report over the next several weeks to ensure the Updated Bay Delta Plan will support recovery of imperiled fish and wildlife, prevent proliferation of Harmful Algal Blooms, and provide sustainable water supply for Californians while reducing reliance on diversions from the Bay Delta. 

We’ll also be paying close attention to how the Report evaluates the Voluntary Agreements (VAs), a backroom deal negotiated between water-agencies and the State without input from Tribes, Delta communities, or EJ, environmental or fishing groups. These groups will all be negatively impacted if the Water Board capitulates to the requests in the VAs. The deal has been driven by special interests and fails to provide adequate freshwater flows for a healthy Bay-Delta  Sierra Club California and our allies have repeatedly implored the Water Board not to legitimize the VAs. 

We’ll be looking to see which alternative is supported by the best available scientific evidence, how each alternative will benefit water quality, public health, and recovery of fish and wildlife, and whether mechanisms are in place to ensure that the final Plan can be adequately enforced. 

Over the next three months, there will be multiple opportunities to give feedback to the State Water Board at workshops, hearings, and through written comments - so stay tuned for how you can help us advocate for strong protections for the Bay Delta ecosystem!

By Gabriela Facio

This month, the federal government will be disbursing funds to further “hydrogen hubs” across the country. Some of this hydrogen funding is available to California through the US Infrastructure and Investments Jobs Act (IIJA), and the state has worked quickly to organize project proposals, investments, and push for tax incentives through ARCHES, a public-private partnership group led by the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz).

Sierra Club California has continuously advocated for investment in and development of innovative clean energy solutions that will move the state away from its reliance on fossil fuels. However, there are some technologies that unfortunately have the potential to pollute California’s air and damage its ecosystems if used in the wrong way - and that includes hydrogen.

Currently, nearly all hydrogen used is being produced through steam methane reformation (SMR), a form of hydrogen production which results in high greenhouse gas emissions. While hydrogen development and use is complex, what has become clear is that the oil and gas industry’s use of deceptive terms such as “clean hydrogen” and “renewable hydrogen” are a direct attempt to perpetuate the continued use of fossil fuels. 

Hydrogen production, transport, storage, and use all create new risks for California’s environmental and public health. These potential harms are not currently addressed by the state’s infrastructure or regulatory bodies. Instead of risking the many potential dangers of widespread hydrogen use, California should  focus on electrification to  decarbonize its energy sectors.

While these funds are being distributed, there’s  a unique opportunity for environmental activists to use our strategic power to push for a truly green hydrogen definition, and provide transparency to the misleading standards the industry seeks to codify through big oil-backed legislation and regulation. We must ensure the market’s profitability does not overshadow safer, more energy efficient, and more practical options to decarbonize our energy sectors.

Hydrogen holds potential to help decarbonize certain energy sectors, and we want to ensure that is done in a manner which doesn’t harm California’s environment or communities. Sierra Club California, along with several of our environmental and environmental justice allies, will continue to engage in legislative and regulatory efforts to address the rapidly scaling hydrogen market. Through close tracking of ARCHES, and direct legislative advocacy, we will aim to ensure the state’s hydrogen projects proceed with the necessary guardrails to protect our communities and uphold transparency and accountability for the potential negative impacts to our environment. 

We can’t do this alone, and there will be opportunities in the coming months for you to get involved. Stay tuned for how you can help this effort. If you’d like to learn more about hydrogen, check out our public Hydrogen fact sheet for more information on the current production and uses, and dangers of hydrogen. 

By Katherine Garcia

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has proposed new federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards to improve fuel economy for new cars sold in the United States.

Drivers spend excessive amounts of money to fuel their cars and it’s often a large part of our household expenses. Automakers can and must do better. NHTSA must require that automakers shift away from inefficient vehicles to help protect public health, improve gas mileage, reduce reliance on oil, and save drivers money at the pump.

Improving the CAFE standards is one of the most significant actions the U.S. can take to ensure automakers deliver cleaner, more efficient cars that save families money. Tell NHTSA to strengthen its current proposal to maximize the environmental and economic benefits.

Please take action and consider writing a personal message. Sign Sierra Club's CAFE Standard Action Alert today to help us push for a strong rule!