Category Archives: News

Valley Clean Energy’s Board commits to goal of 100% renewable electricity by 2030 as it celebrates 5 years of service

September 2023

Valley Clean Energy’s Board of Directors has set the ambitious goal of ensuring 100% of the electricity used by customers comes from renewable and carbon-free sources by the year 2030 while maintaining affordable rates. This goal surpasses that of state mandates and PG&E clean energy objectives.

We would like to share a press release regarding this newly adopted goal of 100% renewable and carbon-free energy by 2030. This year marks VCE’s 5-year milestone and the organization has already set recognizable precedence for their commitment to delivering clean energy throughout their territory.

To learn more about the impact Valley Clean Energy has had in the past five years and the projected impact to come by 2030, please see the press release here.

Gov. Newsom says he’ll sign Sen. Scott Wiener’s greenhouse gas emissions disclosure bill

By Jenavieve Hatch | September 17, 2023 | The Sacramento Bee

While Newsom made his announcement in New York, hundreds of climate activists in Sacramento demonstrated against fossil fuels. Protesters spoke in Old Sacramento to call on Newsom and President Joe Biden to stop approvals of oil drilling permits and declare a climate emergency. The demonstrators then marched across Tower Bridge, where they hung an enormous yellow banner that read “Biden-Newsom: End Fossil Fuels.”

Read more at: https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article279450789.html#storylink=cpy

“If we’re going to invest in roads, how are we going to offset those goals with our goals for (the environment)?”

By Robin Epley | July 21, 2023 | The Sacramento Bee

“They’re not wrong that the road conditions in Sacramento, all over the county, are bad,” Sam Rice told me. “(But) roads degrade, that’s what they do.” Rice is the transportation team lead for the Environmental Council of Sacramento and sits on the board for the Sacramento Metro Advocates for Rail and Transit, where he advises the city of Sacramento and other communities on how the future of transportation can co-exist with smart climate policy. “Road investment in the past has always been something that we simply did out of habit and it’s something that I feel, in the future, we should be thinking of in the context of complete streets,” Rice said. “If we’re going to invest in roads, how are we going to offset those goals with our goals for (the environment)?”

Read more at: https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/article277511813.html#storylink=cpy

Sacramento County doesn’t postpone 2030 climate goal — for now

Kristin Lam | July 12, 2023 | Capital Public Radio

The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday didn’t postpone a carbon neutrality goal after dozens of climate activists pushed back against proposed changes.

County staff had recommended the board change the goal from 2030 to no later than 2045 in order to match state plans, make the timeline more achievable and reduce the risk of lawsuits.

Instead of approving or rejecting the suggested update, the board asked staff to present another version of the climate emergency declaration in late September or early October. In a 3-1 vote, with Supervisor Sue Frost abstaining, the board requested revisions including adding a requirement to measure progress on reducing emissions every five years.

Click here to read or listen to the full article.

Why tires — not tailpipes — are spewing more pollution from your cars

July 9, 2023 | By Kasha Patel | The Washington Post

For decades, scientists and health officials have warned drivers of the harmful pollutants coming from tailpipes. But as car exhaust systems have become cleaner, pollution linked to heart and lung disease has increased from a different source: tires and brakes.

In fact, wear and tear on tires and brakes have been shown to produce increasingly more particle pollution, by mass, than car exhaust systems did in several real-world and test scenarios. Some of the particles are large enough to see with our eyes. Others are fine particles (known as PM 2.5, with diameters up to 2.5 microns) and ultrafine particles (known as PM 0.1, with diameters of 100 nanometers), which can enter through our bloodstream and harm our organs.

Click here to read the article.