Mission
Help reduce California’s energy use and greenhouse gas emissions by all effective, timely, affordable, efficient, least polluting, socially just, and community-based means possible to support climate stabilization at livable levels (including exceeding California’s current GHG reduction mandates). We advise Sierra Club California’s staff and membership on state legislative and regulatory issues related to clean energy and climate protection.
Consultation for Chapters: Committee experts are available to consult with any California Club Chapter and Group about any proposed energy facilities or transmission lines in its area or, more generally, other energy-climate issues. Under CNRCC Resolution, July, 2009, Chapters and Groups are requested to inform the Committee when such proposals are under consideration.
Co-chairs:
Jim Stewart, DrJimStewart@gmail.com, 213-820-4345
Leslie Purcell, Leslie.Purcell@california.sierraclub.org
Invitation to Join
Our Committee currently has 200 members from most California chapters. Any California Sierra Club member is invited to join our Committee’s listserv and conference calls every Monday noon. Please email co-chairs with your name, phone, chapter and areas of interest. Click Action Areas below for more info.
Action Areas:
1: Accelerate decarbonization of buildings, transportation and industry(where efficiency, conservation and equity are foundational).
2: Optimize local clean energy generation and distribution and right-sized transmission, including promotion of local/regional distribution, microgrids, demand flexibility and management, continued support for rooftop solar, etc.
3. Support environmentally responsible renewable energy siting, including protecting pristine habitat and including agrivoltaics and offshore wind energy where appropriate.
4: Reduce and Phase Out Fossil Fuel use, including fossil fuel exploration, extraction, shipment, refining and export, and oppose institutional investors (financial institutions, public pensions) funding fossil fuel companies while promoting divestment and challenging continued funding); this goal also includes cleaning-up orphaned and abandoned wells and support for a “just transition” with “high road opportunities” for workers and communities impacted by phasing out fossil fuels.
5: Monitor, analyze and take action on CDR (carbon dioxide removal) strategies: Monitor, analyze and limit Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), Direct Air Capture (DAC), CO2 pipelines & hydrogen where these would perpetuate fossil fuels and unless health, safety and equity protections and climate benefits are in place; promote natural sequestration best practices and funding in coordination with Agriculture Committee.
6: Promote and support stronger, more effective and more accountable local and regional climate action and adaptation planning – Climate Action and Adaptation Plans (CAAPs) and Community Choice Aggregators (CCAs/CCEs) – and their implementation.
7: Promote and support environmental and social justice throughout our ECC goals and activities. (convenor: Bill Smith)
8: Educate and support ECC members, Sierra Club California (SCC) members and entities and allied organizations to implement the above goals, coordinating with national and SCC staff, California Legislative Committee (CLC), Chapters, California Conservation Committee, and other state Issue Committees, plus support Climate Literacy/Education in school districts.