Petaluma's Building Decarbonization Coalition Exploited Taxpayer Monies Through Sonoma Clean Power to Lobby for Climate Bills
Climate Action Commissioner Panama Bartholomy & Councilman Brian Barnacle's BDC was a paid sponsor of AB 593
According to their website, the Petaluma-based Building Decarbonization Coalition (BDC):
aligns critical stakeholders on a path to transform the nation’s buildings through clean energy, using policy, research, market development and public engagement. The BDC and its members are charting the course to eliminate fossil fuels in buildings to improve people’s health, cut climate and air pollution, prioritize high-road jobs, and ensure that our communities are more resilient to the impacts of climate change.
The BDC is registered with the California Secretary of State as a lobbyist.
The BDC lobbied the following bills and agencies for the 2023-2024 session:
2023-2024, 6th quarter, Legislature: AB 593, SB 1221, SB 1095, AB 247, SB 382, SB 1182, SB 1054, AB 1999, Equitable Building Decarbonization Program, climate bond. Agencies: CARB- zero emission appliance standards, CEC - energy action plan, equitable building decarbonization program
2023-2024, 4th quarter, Governor/Legislature: equitable building decarbonization funding, bond, obligation to serve, AB 593 (Haney), SB 527 (Min), SB 48 (Becker), SB 394 (Gonzalez), SB 745 (Cortese), SB 755 (Becker), Title 24 Building Code. Agencies: California Energy Commission re: Title 24 Building Code
2023-2024, 3rd quarter, Legislature/GO: equitable building decarbonization funding, community resilience centers funding, AB 573 (Haney), SB 48 (Becker), SB 394 (Gonzalez), SB 745 (Cortese), SB 755 (Becker), Title 24 Building Code; Budget funding for Building Decarbonization, AB 593, SB 527 Agencies: CA Energy Commission, CA Air Resources Board
2023-2024, 2nd quarter, Legislature/GO: equitable building decarbonization funding, community resilience centers funding, AB 593 (Haney), SB 527 (Min), SB 48 (Becker), SB 394 (Gonzalez), SB 745 (Cortese), Agencies: CEC, CARB, equitable building decarbonization
2023-2024, 1st quarter, Legislature/GO: equitable building decarbonization funding, community resilience centers funding, Budget funding, AB 573 (Haney), AB 593, SB 527 (Min) Agencies: CEC
BDC appears to be a client of Mr. Reed Addis’ Environmental & Energy Consulting firm.
Additional clients within the firm’s portfolio include:
On April 6, 2023, the Sonoma Clean Power Board of Directors was presented with the following agenda item:
Receive Legislative and Regulatory Updates, Provide Direction and Approve Positions on AB 643 (Berman) Electricity Interconnection Timelines, AB 1538 (Muratsuchi) Clean Energy Reliability, SB 410 (Becker) Powering Up Californians Act and Other Bills as Appropriate
Director Brian Barnacle discussed SB 527 and AB 593 and asked for support. CEO Syphers mentioned that the Board could take a stance on these bills in a motion.
A motion was passed as follows:
Motion to Receive Legislative and Regulatory Updates, Provide Direction and Approve Positions on AB 643 (Berman) Electricity Interconnection Timelines, AB 1538 (Muratsuchi) Clean Energy Reliability, SB 410 (Becker) Powering Up Californians Act with Direction to CEO Syphers to Research and Consider Supporting AB 527 and AB 593 by Director Rogers.
Second: Director Barnacle AYES: Bagby, Ford, Barnacle, Elward, Rogers, Zollman, Farrar-Rivas, Strong, Fudge, Gjerde, Hopkins
On April 10, 2023, BDC Executive Director & former Petaluma Climate Action Commission Vice Chair Panama Bartholomy was present alongside Assemblyman Matt Haney to provide comments to the Assembly Standing Committee on Natural Resources:
Matt Haney: Here to testify and support with me today is Panama Bartholomy, Executive Director of Building Decarbonization Coalition, and Srinidhi Sampath Kumar from Rocky Mountain Institute.
Panama Bartholomy: Well done. Assembly Member. Chair Rivas, Committee Members, Committee staff my name is Panama Bartholomy. I'm the Executive Director of the Building Decarbonization Coalition. We're a coalition of manufacturers of heating equipment, utilities, the design and construction community, and environmental NGOs focused on eliminating pollution from buildings. And I'm happy to be here to present in support of AB 593. We are the sponsors of this Bill.
Panama Bartholomy: We're at a very exciting time for building decarbonization, and I have to thank the Chair for her leadership on this issue through the lens of extreme heat mitigation. Right now in America, we have one in five Americans live in a jurisdiction that's adopted a building decarbonization policy for the first time last year. Across the United States, heat pumps outsold gas furnaces largely in states like South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Texas. And this is a movement that really started here in California.
Panama Bartholomy: Last year, the California Energy Commission adopted a building code that largely requires heat pumps for space heating and water heating across the United States, with the Builders of California not in opposition of that movement. And now AB 593 really serves as an opportunity for us to be able to take that next step, to be able to put together a thoughtful, comprehensive strategy for how we are going to be able to move the building stock to full decarbonization here in this state.
Panama Bartholomy: Right now, we have about seven different agencies implementing policies. And when my manufacturing members come to California to try to talk to agencies, they say, why do we have to go to seven different forums to be able to have the same message on building decarbonization here in this state?
Panama Bartholomy: And so what this Bill does is it ensures a public process with accountability and milestones for the State of California on building decarbonization so that the Legislature and the residents of California can hold the Administration accountable for the building decarbonization policies that they're going to be implementing. This will allow really clear signals to the marketplace so that manufacturers and the supply chain will know what the state is planning.
Panama Bartholomy: They'll know whether the state is making progress and they can start to base their businesses off of the plan that the State of California is adopting. AB 593 is an essential next step to help the state meet our carbon neutrality in an effective, cost-effective, and thoughtful way. I want to thank Assembly Member Haney for his leadership in authoring the Bill, and thank you for your time and happy to answer any questions the Committee may have.
AB 593, carbon emission reduction strategy for the building sector, was passed by the Committee.
Existing law requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, by January 1, 2021, to assess the potential for the state to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases from the state’s residential and commercial building stock by at least 40% below 1990 levels by January 1, 2030. Existing law requires the commission to include in the 2021 edition of the integrated energy policy report and all subsequent integrated energy policy reports a report on the emissions of greenhouse gases associated with the supply of energy to residential and commercial buildings.
On June 1, 2023 the Sonoma Clean Power (SCP) Board of Directors discussed and voted on the following agenda item:
Receive Legislative and Regulatory Updates, Provide Direction and Approve Positions on AB 593 (Haney), AB 982 (Villapudua), and Other Bills as Appropriate.
CEO Syphers introduced SCP’s lobbyist Kate Brandenburg. Ms. Brandenburg stated that she is looking at over 100 pieces of legislation for SCP.
CEO Syphers then discussed various bills affecting SCP. He mentioned that AB 1379 (Papan) regarding teleconference rules was pulled. He stated SB 83 (Wiener/Wood) which would set interconnection timelines was sent to appropriations. He said SB 527 (Min) regarding neighborhood decarbonization was sent to appropriations. He mentioned SB 527 (Becker) regarding public meetings just came out of the judicial committee and was heading to the Senate floor. He recommended approval for 593 (Haney) regarding carbon reduction and recommended a watch position on AB 982 (Villapudua).
The motion was approved as follows:
Motion to Receive Legislative and Regulatory Updates, Provide Direction and Approve Positions on AB 593 (Haney), AB 982 (Villapudua) by Director Barnacle.
Second: Director Rogers AYES: Bagby, Ford, Barnacle, Elward, Rogers, Zollman, Farrar-Rivas, Strong, Fudge, Gjerde, Hopkins
Sonoma Clean Power is registered as a lobbyist through the California Secretary of State. They appear to be utilizing the Brandenburg Group.
Bills and agencies lobbied for the 2023-2024 session included:
2023-2024, 6th quarter, CALIFORNIA STATE LEGISLATURE REGARDING AB 2292, AB 2666, AB 3256, SB 1003, SB 1006, SB 1014, SB 1130, SB 1165, SB 1221 AND SB 1305. CALIFORNIA STATE LEGISLATURE, GOVERNORS OFFICE AND DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION REGARDING AB 1359.
2023-2024, 5th quarter, CALIFORNIA STATE LEGISLATURE REGARDING SB 1014, SB 1130, SB 1165, SB 1221 AND SB 1305.
2023-2024, 4th quarter, CALIFORNIA STATE LEGISLATURE REGARDING ENERGY RELATED LEGISLATIVE PROPOSALS.
2023-2024, 3rd quarter, CALIFORNIA STATE LEGISLATURE REGARDING AB 50, AB 1068, AB 1373, SB 233, SB 319, SB 410, SB 411, SB 537 AND TRAILER BILL LANGUAGE REGARDING ENERGY.
2023-2024, 2nd quarter, CALIFORNIA STATE LEGISLATURE REGARDING AB 50, AB 593, AB 1373, AB 1533, AB 1538, SB 319, SB 410, SB 411, SB 537 AND TRAILER BILL LANGUAGE REGARDING ENERGY.
2023-2024, 1st quarter, CALIFORNIA STATE LEGISLATURE REGARDING AB 50, AB 1538, SB 319 AND TRAILER BILL LANGUAGE REGARDING ENERGY.
From April 1, 2023 to June 20, 2023, Sonoma Clean Power (SCP) spent $16,000 to lobby AB 593 and other bills.
The BDC’s website indicates that they sponsored AB 593.
The BDC’s support as a sponsor for AB 593 was echoed further as indicated in the Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications meeting minutes for July 10, 2023.
The representative or senator who introduces a bill for consideration is termed the bill's sponsor. In addition to the sponsor, a bill can have multiple cosponsors, who sign onto a bill to demonstrate their support. The sponsor and cosponsor(s) are listed on the first page of a bill, before its main text.
Have Mr. Barnacle & Mr. Bartholomy taken advantage of the taxpayers by utilizing monies through local agencies to support the bills for which they are lobbying?
“The main thing you got to remember is that everything in the world is a hustle.”
― Malcolm X, The Autobiography of Malcolm X