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Tag Archives: climate-crisis
Resolution in Support of a State Windfall Profits Tax on Oil Corporations
DPCCC membership approved the following resolution at the November 17, 2022 regular meeting.
WHEREAS according to the California Energy Commission, while crude oil prices are down, oil companies have increased gas prices in California by a record 84 cents per gallon in just the last month alone, with the average price of gasoline at the pump surging from $5.06 to $6.29 despite the price of oil decreasing from about $100 per barrel to $85 per barrel; and
WHEREAS oil companies and their executives have failed to provide an explanation for the divergence between prices in California compared to the national average and, while spokespeople have blamed it on five refineries temporarily shutting down at the same time, such unplanned maintenance issues have occurred in the past – most recently in September 2019 – without prices at the pump skyrocketing anywhere near this degree; and
WHEREAS on September 30 Governor Newsom called for a windfall profits tax to put record oil profits back in Californians’ pockets;
RESOLVED that the California Democratic Party supports the Governor’s call for a windfall profits tax on oil corporations;
RESOLVED that the California Democratic Party reaffirms its support of measures that increase access to affordable alternatives to internal combustion engine vehicles, measures such as public transit, and forms of zero-emission multi-modal transportation, and zero-emission vehicles.
Submitted by Nadine Peyrucain, Elected Member, District 5
Author: Igor Tregub, AD15, 510-295-8798, itregub@gmail.com
Sponsors:
California Democratic Party Regions 5, 6, 7; Igor Tregub, AD 15; Nadine Peyrucain, AD 14; Michele Sutter, AD 61; Pamela Drake, AD 18; Dan Kalb, AD 15; Michael Kapp, AD 46; Leah Herzberg, AD 46; Emily Brandt, AD 23; Libby Frolichman, AD 72; Kate Harrison, AD 15; Andrea Beth Damsky, AD 79; David Atkins, AD 37; Jessica Craven, AD 52; Sean Frame, AD 6; Ianthe Zevos, AD 52; Kathy Dervin, AD 20; Devin T. Murphy, AD 15; Elaine Hagen, AD 5; Sara Roos, AD 54; David Mandel, AD 7; Ruth Carter, AD 12; Wendy Bloom, AD 15; Doris Dent, AD 45; Michael Barnett, AD 15; Loraine Lundquist, AD 45; Jerilyn Stapleton, AD 46
Approved by the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County, November 17, 2022
DPCCC endorses SB 1173 (Public retirement systems: fossil fuels: divestment)
DPCCC membership approved this endorsement at the May 19, 2022 regular meeting.
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB1173
Action alert on oil and gas extraction on County land
Pursuant to DPCCC’s Resolution to end existing oil and gas drilling in Contra Costa County and phasing out existing oil and gas extraction infrastructure (Nov 18, 2021), here is an action alert from Sunflower Alliance.
All Hands on Deck! On May 11 the County is hearing public comment on the new oil and gas policy for its General Plan, which will dictate land use policy for the next twenty years. Unfortunately, the new oil and gas policy it’s proposing, just like the old, allows oil and gas extraction on county land.
The only difference is the requirement of 3,200′ setbacks. This is a step in the right direction, as it acknowledges the health dangers of living near drilling sites. But recent scientific studies show that 3,200’ setbacks are not the most health-protective approach. And continuing to permit fossil fuel infrastructure begs the question of climate impacts altogether.
Antioch passed a drilling ban in January, and Brentwood just placed a moratorium on drilling while it works on a permanent ban. Now the County needs to do the same. Toxic pollutants and climate emissions from oil and gas production don’t stop at lines on a map. Contra Costa must do better.
The County really needs to hear from us! Please send in comments or testify at the County Planning Commission hearing on May 11 at 6:30 PM. The Zoom link for the hearing will be posted here on 5/6.
Use this Guide to craft your own in-person and written testimony. You can email your comments to planninghearing@dcd.cccounty.us, and testify at the May 11 hearing.
The County Board of Supervisors meets the day before on May 10. We’ll present the No Drilling petition, speak during public comment on non-agenda items, and hold a press conference outside the County Building at 1025 Escobar in Martinez before the meeting starts. East County residents will be speaking, along with MDs and youth activists. Come join us if you can.
Tues May 10, 9 AM: Board of Supervisors Meeting
Comment either via Zoom or in person. Attend the 8:30 AM press conference or watch the livestream on the Sunflower Alliance facebook page.Wed May 11, 6:30 PM: County Planning Commission Meeting (“Study Session” on the Conservation Element of the new General Plan)
Via Zoom. The County won’t release zoom link until May 6. Check this County page and this Sunflower Alliance post for updated information.A very big thank you for taking action!
Resolution to end existing oil and gas drilling in Contra Costa County and phasing out existing oil and gas extraction infrastructure
DPCCC membership approved the following resolution at the November 18, 2021 regular meeting.
WHEREAS, In the summer of 2019, County planners approved exploratory oil drilling on Deer Valley Road just outside of Antioch, a half-mile from Dozier-Libbey Medical High School and Kaiser Antioch, and close to several residences, despite the well-documented dangers which this drilling poses to air quality and public health, and its contribution to a rapidly accelerating climate crisis.
WHEREAS, a second permit application for oil drilling came their way in spring 2020, for a site just a few hundred feet from Brentwood homes. The planners declared there were no negative environmental impacts. It took a massive public outcry before they even agreed to perform an environmental review, now currently underway.
WHEREAS, only a year after County planners rubber-stamped that first permit—which enabled the revival of oil drilling in Contra Costa County after a thirty-year hiatus—our Board of Supervisors passed a Climate Emergency Resolution invoking the serious threats of climate change and pledging to phase out fossil fuel dependence in the county. But in the meantime, in unincorporated Antioch, those Deer Valley Road pump jacks continue to pump, despite being a mere several yards from an adjacent future senior housing development being planned by the City of Antioch.
WHEREAS, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), an international energy agency, recently warned that to maintain a livable planet, all fossil fuel production must end before the end of the decade.
WHEREAS, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors recently voted unanimously, on September 15, 2021, to end new permitting of oil and gas drilling and to phase out existing drilling, despite oil and gas drilling being a much larger part of their economy and having a far longer fossil fuel extraction history in Los Angeles than in Contra Costa. Los Angeles County, the most populous county in the nation, has committed to phasing out 1,600 active and inactive wells. Similarly, our neighbor to the south, Alameda County banned fracking in 2016, and in July of 2018 it revoked a conditional use permit for its operating wells, effectively banning oil drilling. And yet, Contra Costa County decision-makers and planners continue to waffle, instead talking “mitigation” instead of a clean break with the destructive extractive practices of our past.
WHEREAS, on October 26, 2021, the City of Antioch voted to ban oil drilling within their city limits. The Board of Directors of the Diablo Water District also voted, on October 27, 2021, to unanimously oppose all new (and refurbished) oil and gas well projects in East Contra Costa County; and have signed onto a currently circulating petition to ban new oil and gas drilling in Contra Costa County.
THEREFORE, Contra Costa County needs to protect the health and safety of its residents and join the ranks of those other governmental climate decision-makers to also help blaze a path into an equitable clean energy future; and include within its new revised County General Plan, (which spells out policy directives for all County rule-making, including those concerning oil and gas infrastructure), a ban on all new oil and gas drilling, and the phasing out of existing oil and gas extraction infrastructure.
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that copies of this Resolution shall be sent to all State Senators and Assembly members representing Contra Costa County, to the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors and the director of the Contra Costa County Department of Conservation and Development.
Submitted by: Nadine Peyrucain, District 5
Resolution in Support of Divesting the California Democratic Party from Fossil Fuel and Law Enforcement Contributions
DPCCC membership approved the following resolution at the October 21, 2021 regular meeting.
WHEREAS, although a California Democratic Party (CDP) ad hoc committee unanimously recommended the end of fossil fuel contributions in March 2020, and the CDP Finance Committee recommended to end law enforcement contributions in July 2020, these recommendations have, over a year later, not been adopted by the CDP, nor given an opportunity to be voted on by the CDP Executive Board or CDP Delegates; and motions made by the African American and Environmental Caucus Chairs to end the acceptance of these contributions were both ruled out of order at the August 2021 CDP Executive Board meeting; and
WHEREAS, in recognition of the gravity of these issues, the CDP Platform clearly states: “Climate change is an existential threat to humanity,” calls on both Congress and the California Legislature to “[transition] away from extraction and refining of fossil fuels,” and further asserts that “[c]riminal justice reform must incorporate every aspect of the criminal justice system, including … the practices and behavior of law enforcement professionals”; and
WHEREAS, on September 25, 2021, a petition signed by 7 CDP Caucus Chairs (later signed on by an eighth) and 56 CDP Executive Board members, was duly and timely submitted calling for a Special Meeting of the Executive Board at Laney College in Oakland, CA on October 24, 2021, to finally take action on both proposals.
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County (DPCCC) supports the immediate formalization of a current cessation of the practice by the CDP to accept contributions from entities associated with the extraction and/or refining of fossil fuels and law enforcement.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, while hoping that the need for a Special Meeting to vote on formalizing the practice listed above can be avoided, the DPCCC welcomes the CDP Executive Board and Party members to Oakland, Contra Costa County’s neighboring city, later this month in the event that it cannot.
Respectfully submitted by:
Marisol Rubio, Director, San Ramon Services District, DPCCC Associate Member, District 2
Approved by:
Democratic Party of Contra Costa County, October 21, 2021
Resolution in Opposition to AB 1139 (Gonzalez), Net Energy Metering
DPCCC membership approved the following resolution at the June 17, 2021 regular meeting.
WHEREAS, rooftop solar is a key part of our transition to renewable energy that is needed to avert climate catastrophe, and the expansion of rooftop solar creates a more resilient grid that is less vulnerable to natural disasters; and
WHEREAS, net energy metering and other financial incentives have been central to making solar installation affordable and cost-effective for Californians and have helped drive the proliferation of rooftop solar throughout the state; and
WHEREAS, AB 1139 would make solar unaffordable by imposing monthly fees on solar panel users averaging $70 per household while slashing net metering credits by 80%, which would heavily discourage solar installations, encourage current users to disconnect their panels, and devastate the solar industry in California;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County opposes the passage of Assembly Bill 1139 (Gonzalez), which would reverse our state’s tremendous achievements in rooftop solar, cost numerous solar installers their jobs and businesses, and financially harm existing solar customers.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County shall submit its OPPOSE position to the California State Legislature for inclusion in the bill analysis as an opposing organization, and shall communicate its opposition to this bill to the California Democratic Party and members of the State Senate and State Assembly representing any part of Contra Costa County and the Governor of the State of California, urging the Democratic supermajority in the California State Legislature not to pass this legislation and the Democratic Governor to veto this bill if it should reach his desk.
Submitted by: Rebecca Auerbach, Publicly Elected Member
Resolution in Support of Assembly Bill 525, (Chiu, Cunningham, Friedman) – Offshore Wind Generation
DPCCC membership approved the following resolution at the May 20, 2021 regular meeting.
WHEREAS, California has set ambitious goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Energy Commission, in coordination with specified agencies, found that California will need to build at least 34 gigawatts of new renewable energy and energy storage developments by 2030 and at least 140 gigawatts of new renewable energy and energy storage developments by 2045 to achieve the goals; and
WHEREAS, California has found that wind and solar power on land will not be able meet that strategic goal, but that offshore wind generation could provide many new jobs and at least 10 gigawatts installed off the California coast by 2040, with an interim target of 3,000 megawatts installed by 2030; and the Energy Commission, in consultation with relevant state and local agencies, would need to start developing a plan on or before June 1, 2022 to improve existing waterfront facilities, seaports, and workforce.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County supports the passage of Assembly Bill 525, Offshore Wind Generation to begin this planning, and urges the Democratic supermajority in the California State Legislature to pass the legislation and the Democratic Governor to sign the bill into law;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County shall communicate this resolution to members of the State Senate and State Assembly representing any part of Contra Costa County and the Governor of the State of California.
Submitted by Brodie Hilp, Elected Member, District 2
Resolution supporting 100% ZEV new vehicle sales in California by 2030
DPCCC membership approved the following resolution at the March 18, 2021 regular meeting.
A RESOLUTION OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY SUPPORTING THE GOAL OF REACHING 100% ZERO EMISSION VEHICLE SALES IN CALIFORNIA BY 2030
WHEREAS, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) tells us that we have until 2030 to transform our economy and the way we live to avoid the most catastrophic and irreversible effects of the climate crisis, and in California, the transportation sector is the largest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions; and
WHEREAS, zero emission vehicles and services are an important and growing sector of California’s economy, an opportunity for quality jobs and tax revenue in our state; and
WHEREAS, Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, along with pro-labor and pro-environment leaders in the Senate Democratic Caucus, have introduced the Clean Cars for America initiative that calls for no new internal combustion engines to be produced after 2030 and for 100% zero emission vehicles (ZEV) to be manufactured by union-represented labor forces;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County supports the goal of exclusively 100% ZEV new vehicle sales in California by 2030 and urges the California Democratic Party to adopt this policy in its platform; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County encourages Governor Gavin Newsom, the state legislature, and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to use all available means to adopt the goal of exclusively 100% ZEV new vehicle sales in California by 2030.