E2 Weekly Update — The fight to suppress and overturn CA’s climate fight

A new report shows just how much the fossil fuels industry spent in 2017 to overturn and suppress California’s fight against climate change and programs aimed at growing the low carbon economy. The oil industry trade group Western States Petroleum Association alone spent $6.2 million on this effort in 2017, and several individual oil companies spent even more. The strategy was simple — spread a message claiming clean energy is unaffordable, bad for consumers, and bad for the state’s economy.

But this message was all too familiar to E2. We aggressively defended California’s climate policies with economic data of our own that showed money pouring in to every Assembly district in the state from our cap and trade auction funds and the growth in clean economy jobs. We showed legislators the district-level impact of the clean economy in person, introduced them to those job creators and workers in their districts, and let them know we were also releasing this data to the media.

We showed lawmakers they could choose between benefits for their constituents or continued favors to the oil industry. And we won. The California Global Warming Law was extended to 2030 as was our Cap-and-Trade system. We know this isn’t the end and that fossil-fuel lobbyists will continue their fights against smart clean energy policies — but with your help we know how to fight them.

Credit goes to our California E2 members and partners who spoke up, attended meetings, and authored op-eds. You made case that what’s good for the environment is good for the economy!

- Nicole Lederer, Chairman & Co-Founder

Why a Big Utility Is Embracing Wind and Solar (New York Times)

After Tax Reform, Corporates Show Continued Interest in Direct Renewables Investment (Greentech Media)

Ted Wheeler: Climate protection and economic development go hand in hand (Oregonian)

Put Oregonians’ health first; pass cap-and-trade legislation (Statesman Journal)

Opinion: Transmission planners need to account for corporate America’s growing demand for renewable energy (The Hill)

New Jersey to accelerate 3.5 GW offshore wind target (Utility Dive)

These Worldwide Resorts Are Taking Reservations… And Making A Difference (Haute Living)

FEDERAL

• On Jan. 31, E2 hosted Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY) for a State of the Union response webinar, examining the president’s comments on energy and environmental policy the night before. NRDC Managing Director for Government Affairs Ana Unruh-Cohen and E2 Advocacy Director Grant Carlisle also detailed the NRDC/E2 policy and advocacy focus for 2018. Here is a recording of our webinar.
• During the DC and Detroit Auto Shows, E2 ran a $30,000 digital ad campaign (example below) directed at participants amplifying the importance of federal mileage standards and other clean cars policies to job creation and economic growth. The ads appearing through Yelp, Facebook and other apps used at the events linked to this E2.org page.

• E2 also sent a letter from E2 Ohio members who work in energy efficiency to the Ohio congressional delegation amplifying the need to pass tax legislation that extends the 179D commercial energy efficiency tax credit.

STATES

• Pennsylvania — E2 submitted comments Sunday night to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) on behalf of 89 businesses and an additional 87 business owners and 1,158 homeowners who have invest invested in solar energy. The comments make the case against the PUC’s interpretation of the solar border bill (Act 40) that would grandfather in all existing out-of-state systems — causing the law to be ineffective.
• Colorado — Last Wednesday, E2 Rockies Chapter Director, Kevin Morse, presented E2’s Clean Jobs Colorado report data at the Colorado Communities Symposium.
• Oregon — An E2 Action Alert urging Oregon state lawmakers to pass the Clean Energy Jobs bill has been signed by nearly 90 Oregon-based business leaders. E2 is also leading a delegation to meet with dozens of state lawmakers at the state capital this Thursday to push the issue further.
• New York — E2 will join NRDC, New Yorkers for Clean Power, and Sierra Club in signing on to a petition urging New York State’s Public Service Commission to establish a pathway through the state’s Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) program to advance transportation electrification and EV infrastructure development.
• New England — In meetings with numerous key Massachusetts legislators last week, E2 members made the case for increasing Massachusetts’ RPS; increasing the state’s energy storage targets; putting a price on carbon; and advancing state grid modernization.

• Colorado — Last Thursday, E2 Emerging Leaders Megan Rast and Greg Hopkins testified at the PUC public hearing for Xcel’s Stipulation filing. Xcel’s proposal would update their Electric Resource Plan to bring up to 2GW of new wind, solar, and other advanced energy resources to Colorado’s energy supply, and close two coal plants in Pueblo.

Washington D.C.

• First DC Advocacy Trip of 2018 tentatively scheduled for February 27–28, focusing on clean vehicles legislation. For more information contact grant@e2.org.
• E2 is a supporting organization for ACORE’s 2018 Renewable Energy Policy Forum on March 14 in Washington, D.C. The event will bring together industry leaders and policymakers to discuss energy and tax policy, debate pressing issues in the changing electricity marketplace, and identify priorities for Congress, the states, and relevant agencies. Register for the conference at www.acorepolicyforum.org/registration.

California

• Longtime E2-member Jeffrey Bennett will hold a talk on his latest book “Global Warming Demystified” in Santa Barbara on February 15. For more information click here. E2 members are invited and encouraged to attend

EPA Hearings to Review Clean Power Plan Repeal

• E2 is seeking business leaders who support clean energy to testify about the economic benefits of the Clean Power Plan, which EPA is planning to repeal. If you can deliver 3-minute remarks at any of the upcoming hearings (below) to assert that the Plan is a major market signal for investment and innovation, a job creator and a boon to consumers, please get in touch with us. We’ll supply you with talking points which you can personalize:
• Micaela Preskill (micaela@e2.org) for the Kansas City, Mo. hearing on February 21.
• Zach Amittay (zach@e2.org) for the San Francisco, Calif. hearing on February 28.
• Susan Nedell (susan@e2.org) for the Gillette, Wyo. hearing on March 27.

Arizona

• E2 Chairman and Co-Founder Nicole Lederer will moderate a cleantech policy panel at GreenBiz 18 this Wednesday with three E2 member panelists — Jon Powers (co-founder of CleanCapital and former ederal chief sustainability officer at White House CEQ); Emily Reichert (CEO of cleantech incubator Greentown Labs); and Tommy Hayes (policy partnerships manager at Lyft). You can follow along live by registering here to watch a livestream of the event.

“This isn’t about cutting a budget, this is about cutting innovation and competitiveness in America’s fastest-growing jobs sector.” — E2 Exec Dir @Bkeefee2 on leaked Trump budget slashing DOE #energyefficiency and renewables program funding

“It is of vital importance that the legislature not only advance a Cap-&-Invest program, but does so before the end of the 2018 legislative session.” — Nearly 90 Oregon biz leaders sign letter urging state lawmakers to pass Clean Energy jobs Bill http://bit.ly/2nNT3El

DID YOU KNOW: Jobs in #wind and #solar jobs now outnumber those in gas and coal in 30 states, contributing to an impressive 3.2 million total #cleanenergy jobs across the country.

Originally published at mailchi.mp.