California Public Utilities Commission Orders Major Buildout of New Zero-Emission Electricity Resources
For Immediate Release
Thursday, June 24, 2021
Contact:
Rachel Boyer, rachel.boyer@sierraclub.org
Shana Lazerow, slazerow@cbecal.org
11,500 Megawatts of clean energy is coming to California to help keep the lights on
San Francisco, Calif. — Today, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) ordered electricity providers to build 11,500 megawatts (MW) of new zero-emission electricity resources to come online between 2023-2026. This vote comes after strong public support for removing fossil fuels from the order, with hundreds of written public comments and voicemails urging the Commission to require new resources to be zero-emission only.
In response to the vote, Regenerate California, a joint campaign of the California Environmental Justice Alliance and Sierra Club, produced the following statement:
“This is a big step forward in California’s clean energy and air quality goals. We applaud the CPUC for listening to Californians’ loud and consistent support for clean energy, and moving the ball forward in building an unprecedented amount of clean energy that will help us meet our climate targets, create good paying jobs after a devastating pandemic, and help keep the lights on as climate change makes our weather more extreme and unpredictable.
“It is now the responsibility of the Commission to ensure clean energy investments reach environmental justice communities and that they benefit first from the buildout of these resources. Over half of the state’s gas plants are located in environmental justice communities, which are predominantly low-income communities and communities of color who have historically experienced underinvestment and are disproportionately impacted by dangerous air pollution from fossil fuels.
“We look forward to continuing to work with the Commission to ensure that these clean resources phase out fossil fuels, and are prioritized in environmental justice communities that need and deserve the economic, public health, and safety benefits of clean energy.”
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