Sander Kushen, sander.kushen@sierraclub.org
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) rejected Southern California Edison’s (SCE) Building Electrification proposal today, dealing a major blow to the state’s climate goals and environmental justice efforts. This comes on the heels of a proposed budget that slashes funding for equitable building decarbonization.
The SCE proposal would have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by installing 250,000 heat pumps in cities across Southern California and assisting households with making critical electrification upgrades. Proposals by intervenors such as Sierra Club and NRDC would have provided electric appliance access and assistance to mostly low-income and environmental justice households currently dependent on natural gas.
The CPUC’s decision finalizes a rejection of SCE’s bold climate proposal, hampering urgently needed progress towards California’s goal to decarbonize 80 percent of the buildings sector by 2035, as outlined in the CARB 2022 Scoping Plan. The decision also burdens vulnerable communities by entrenching reliance on an increasingly expensive fossil fuel system amid declining demand.
In response, Sierra Club field Manager Teresa Cheng released the following statement:
“In rejecting the proposal, the CPUC totally missed the forest for the trees. While attempting to avoid the short-term costs of this program, the commission failed to consider electrification’s potential to reduce electric rates long-term.
“Building emissions constitute 25 percent of greenhouse gas emissions statewide and are major contributors to respiratory diseases and asthma. It’s critical that we install electric appliances and remove the up-front financial barriers that can make electrification prohibitively expensive for low-income Californians.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.