BART’s Power Is As Dirty As Its Stations. Here’s How To Clean It Up.
Under Republican Fang’s Directorship, BART built a dirty fossil fuel power plant in the Central Valley—and signed a contract with PG&E limiting how much solar could be installed on its property. BART used to be powered entirely by renewable energy. But as a result of votes taken by Republican Director Fang, BART has cut in half how much clean renewable energy it uses. That’s a Dirty Power record that would make the Koch brothers proud! This November, we need your vote to elect a clean energy candidate who will clean up the dirty mess at BART and slash its carbon emissions.
BART’s Solar Opportunity
There’s a solar industry boom going on right now, and it’s centered here in California. Solar has gotten so much cheaper, and homes and businesses throughout California are saving money by putting solar on their rooftops. In fact, this solar boom is creating so many good, green jobs that solar now employees more folks than coal!
Under Republican Director Fang, BART has utterly failed to take advantage of this solar revolution. BART has many large rooftops that would be great for solar, including three big maintenance facilities and over 30 above-ground BART stations. Under my leadership, BART would power a significant portion of its trains with clean solar energy, and create hundreds of good, green jobs that we badly need in the Bay Area.
BART Stations Need An Upgrade
It won’t surprise anybody that BART’s buildings are largely dilapidated and inefficient. Most are over 40 years old and haven’t ever been renovated. That means there’s substantial room for improvement — and for energy efficiency savings.
The lighting fixtures are so old in many BART facilities that the original bulbs are no longer being produced and BART can’t even buy parts for them. Instead, replacements have to be specially fabricated. Even my grandfather can still find lightbulbs for his fixtures! BART should retrofit its buildings with newer, much more efficient lighting. For example, an LED lightbulb can provide the same light as an old fluorescent bulb while consuming just one-tenth the electricity.
Energy is BART’s third-biggest operating cost, so efficiency retrofits could save BART a lot of money. If elected, I would push for BART to do a program of energy efficiency retrofits across all its facilities to minimize BART’s energy use and maximize savings. BART could then use those significant savings to clean up and modernize its stations.
Don’t Run Dirty Diesel Trains
Under the 24-year Directorship of Republican Fang, BART hasn’t just started to power its trains with dirty electricity, it’s actually bought trains that will run on dirty diesel fuel!
Diesel trains are much more polluting than electric trains, even those powered by BART’s dirty fossil fuel power plant. Particulates created by burning diesel — the black soot that comes from big trucks — are harmful to breathe, and cause asthma and other health problems. Diesel trains also generate far more carbon dioxide that will lead to runaway global warming. And, amazingly, it’s not even that diesel trains save money. They’re more expensive to operate than trains that run on clean electricity.
BART shouldn’t be buying diesel trains, and unlike Director Fang, I would oppose such projects in the future.
Under Republican Fang’s 24 years as Director, BART has been buying dirtier, more polluting energy, and its facilities have been getting older and less efficient. If elected, I would Clean Up BART’s environmental footprint, and work towards making it the nation’s only 100% clean energy powered transit agency. I built a company that builds solar power plants. I serve on the Board of the California League of Conservation Voters. I’ve been endorsed by the Sierra Club. I know clean power. This November, it’s time to kick out Republican Director Fang and his Dirty Power.
