Campaign Updates
Grassroots Environmental Justice Communities Score a Massive Victory Over Big Oil
In a spectacular victory for environmental justice, communities across California defeated oil and gas giants before they even made it to the ballot. Yesterday, Californians for Energy Independence pulled their referendum seeking to overturn the law creating 3,200 ft setbacks from the November 2024 election. Organizers from environmental justice communities have fought against the toxic impact of oil and gas … Read More
OUT NOW: CEJA’s 2023 Environmental Justice Legislative Scorecard
Defensive Wins, a Disastrous Budget, and a Need for Community-Centered Environmental Justice Solutions
2023 was, in many ways, a disappointing year for environmental justice communities across California. Bold bills like SB 556 (Gonzalez) – which aimed to shift the burden of proof to polluters, holding fossil fuel companies legally accountable for health issues like cancer or high-risk pregnancy suffered by … Read MoreEnvironmental Justice Groups Across the Country Issue Letter to the Department of the Treasury on Hydrogen Funding
On October 13, 2023, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced $1.2 billion in funding for hydrogen infrastructure development in California, as part of $7 billion in hydrogen hub funding available nationwide. In response, CEJA submitted a letter to the DOE vehemently opposing California’s approach to obtaining this funding. California’s application process entirely cut out input from low-income communities of color … Read MoreA Letter from CEJA to the Department of Energy RE: Hydrogen Funding for ARCHES
October 13, 2023 To: David Crane Suzanne Baker Angelique Besnard Catherine Clark David Crane Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations U.S. Department of Energy 1000 Independence Ave SW Washington, D.C. 20585 The undersigned groups regretfully write to express our strong opposition to the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) funding the first phase of California’s hydrogen … Read MoreEnvironmental Justice Equity Principles for Green Hydrogen in California
California is investing heavily in hydrogen; billions of dollars will be spent building out hydrogen infrastructure that will shape the future of energy in California. At this historic moment, it is critical that decision-makers work closely with environmental justice communities to ensure that the injustices perpetrated by the fossil fuel industry against those vulnerable communities do not repeat themselves. We … Read MoreOrganizations Across CA Urge the Closure of 3 Toxic Gas Plants
On Wednesday, August 9, the California Energy Commission (CEC) is scheduled to vote on whether to keep three toxic gas plants – Ormond Beach, Huntington, and AES Alamitos – operational for another three years. It will cost over a billion dollars to keep these dangerous once-through-cooling gas plants active. A recent study commissioned by Regenerate California, of which CEJA is… Read MoreThe Regenerate California Coalition Examines California’s Underperforming Gas Plants
New analysis of California’s 2022 heat wave confirms gas plants failed to deliver promised power while toxic emissions soared in environmental justice communities.
Results call into question Gov. Newsom’s strategy to prolong the life of gas plants to prevent energy shortfalls.
Download the 2023 Heatwave Report here
California gas plants underperformed and over polluted in the record breaking heat wave … Read More
CEJA Responds to the California May Budget Revision
Governor Gavin Newsom released his May Budget Revision and, unfortunately, we didn’t receive the necessary environmental justice allocations CEJA wanted to see. Members of our diverse, grassroots environmental justice coalition came together to respond to the California Budget Revision. We hope the governor’s office listens to the concerns of our community members, and seriously considers our suggestions for the future. … Read More
