HomeMy WebLinkAbout6/16/2020 Item 11, Delforge
From:Delforge, Pierre <
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:NRDC comments in SUPPORT of Clean Energy Choice policy for 6/16 City Council
Hearing
Attachments:NRDC SLO Clean Energy Choice Comments - June 15 2020.pdf
Hello,
Please find attached NRDC’s comments in support of San Luis Obispo’s proposed Clean Energy Choice policy.
Best,
Pierre
PIERRE DELFORGE
Senior Scientist – Building Decarbonization
NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL
111 SUTTER ST., 21ST FLOOR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104
T 415.875.6139 | PDELFORGE@NRDC.ORG
BLOG: HTTPS://WWW.NRDC.ORG/EXPERTS/PIERRE-DELFORGE
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Comments of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) on San Luis Obispo’s
Proposed Clean Energy Choice Policy
Submitted by: Pierre Delforge, pdelforge@nrdc.org, June 15, 2020
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), appreciates the opportunity to
comment on the Clean Energy Choice Policy. NRDC is a non-profit membership organization
with more than 95,000 California members who have an interest in receiving affordable energy
services while reducing the environmental impact of California’s energy consumption and
transitioning to a thriving climate -safe society.
NRDC strongly supports San Luis Obispo’s Proposed Clean Energy Choice Policy and
urges the City Council to adopt it.
Responding to the climate imperative: San Luis Obispo’s Proposed Clean Energy
Choice Policy, also known as “reach code”, meaning a local building energy code for new
construction going beyond the state’s energy code requirements, is an important policy to
mitigate the climate crisis. These past few years, California has already experienced a number of
climate-related disasters, including a thousand-year drought, record heat waves, and
unprecedented wildfires. These disasters have tragically claimed more tha n a hundred lives, cost
thousands of people their homes and livelihoods, and exposed millions of Californians to some
of the worst toxic air pollution in the world for weeks. Low-income communities and people of
color throughout the state are disproportionately impacted by the health and economic impacts
from climate disruption because they tend to work in more exposed economic sectors and live in
more polluted neighborhoods. The impacts of these disasters on California’s agriculture, tourism,
and overall economy are undeniable and will continue to get worse until we slow and ultimately
reverse the climate crisis.
Transitioning off fossil fuels in buildings, particularly in new construction, is an
essential and urgent step – Buildings are responsible for 25 percent of California’s climate
pollution, and the use of “natural” (fossil) gas for space heating and water heating generates the
majority of this pollution. Gas combustion in buildings generates seven times more nitrogen
oxide pollution that all gas-fired power plants in California. Clean and super-efficient
alternatives to heat our buildings and hot water are readily available in the market and are cost-
effective in many cases, particularly in new construction : electric heat pump technology
produces zero emissions on site, and only a fraction of the emissions when accounting for the
power plants that generate the electricity needed to power them, as the state’s electricity is
increasingly produced from renewable sources like wind and solar.
Building new homes and commercial buildings that use gas equipment locks their
occupants into decades of higher carbon pollution and utility bills, or will require costly retrofits.
It costs a lot less to build right from the start than to convert from gas to electric energy later.
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Building all-electric is faster, and in most cases cheaper – Electric buildings do not
require a connection to the gas main in the street, which can cost $5,000 or more, and does not
require waiting for the gas utility to connect the building which can take months. All -electric
buildings also don’t need gas plumbing and combustion safety equipment and testing. Building
faster and at a lower cost will help mitigate California’s housing affordability crisis.
All-electric new homes cost less to operate – Since the beginning of 2020, the state
building code requires all new homes to have solar panels. This low-cost and clean solar
electricity can be used to offset the electricity used not just for lighting and air conditioning, but
also for electric heating and water heating, slashing utility bills. In contrast, gas bills cannot be
offset.
Fossil fuel industry opponents’ claims of higher costs are based on inefficient electric
appliances and on not factoring in the benefits of solar electricity in new buildings. Even in
existing buildings without solar, using modern heat pump technology is cost -competitive with
gas alternatives, because heat pump technology’s much lower energy use offsets the higher cost
of electricity vs. gas per unit of energy, leading to comparable or lower utility bills.
All-electric homes are better for public health – Electric heating, water heating, and
cooking avoid gas combustion indoors, eliminating the primary source for nitrogen oxide (NOx)
and carbon monoxide (CO) pollution. Recent research by UCLA found that indoor NOx
concentrations in homes using gas stoves often exceed legal limits for outdoor air quality. As
most people spend 90 percent of their time indoors, indoor air quality is paramount to our long-
term health outcomes.
Working together toward a just transition - Workers in the gas industry have
understandable concerns about the future of their livelihoods as California transitions to a clean
energy economy. But this will be a gradual process that the State, utilities, and local governments
can work on together to plan for a just transition.
San Luis Obispo's policy does not cover the vast rem ainder of existing homes that will
continue to use gas for many years. Existing gas pipelines and other infrastructure will still need
maintenance for decades. But we must begin planning for this transition now to ensure fossil fuel
workers keep the system safe while we use it and can either retire in their jobs or have pathways
to other well-paying careers.
This transition has the potential to create thousands of new clean energy jobs to
modernize the electric grid and build more renewable energy to accommodate efficient electric
buildings and vehicles, and to retrofit existing buildings. We need a constructive dialogue
between all stakeholders to implement effective policies for an equitable and just transition.
It's time to move forward with the local democratic process in San Luis Obispo and get to
the hard work of planning for a future that works for everyone. We can’t sacrifice our future to
avoid change today. Let’s work together to make that change work for all.
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For these reasons, we urge adoption of the Clean Energy Choice policy at Tuesday’s
hearing.
Pierre Delforge
Senior Scientist
Natural Resources Defense Council
111 Sutter Street, 21st Floor, San Francisco, CA 94104