The Local Clean Energy Alliance is a growing coalition of nonprofits, businesses, and community groups working to reduce overall energy consumption, transition to clean energy, and create thousands of clean energy jobs throughout the Bay Area. We focus on energy reduction and climate strategies that jump-start green economic development and benefit all Bay Area communities. We do this is by advancing clean energy policies to improve local air quality and community health, while creating green jobs and pathways out of poverty for low-income families.

A Growing Cross-Sector Alliance

The Alliance has over 65 member organizations including local businesses, environmental and social justice nonprofits, and community-based groups. Founded in 2007 by Bay Localize, Pacific Environment, and the Sierra Club, the Alliance now boasts a wide range of members, including Brightline Defense Project, Citizens Against Pollution, Communities for a Better Environment, the Ecology Center, Ella Baker Center, Global Exchange, Kyoto USA, Rainforest Action Network, Solar Richmond, Sungevity, Sun Light & Power, and Women's Energy Matters. The Local Clean Energy Alliance sits on the Steering Committee of the Oakland Climate Action Coalition, where we played a key role in getting Oakland to commit to a 36% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.

The alliance played a key role in defeating Prop 16, the PG&E Power Grab. We are participating on the Steering Committee and Media/Communications team of the Communities United Against the Dirty Energy Prop.

Our Policy Priorities

Reduce Energy Consumption. A broad based campaign advocating for a comprehensive and equitable Energy Reduction Managament program that reduces overall energy use as well as how much spend on energy, while creating local jobs. The campaign will include public administration of Energy Efficiency funds collected in the public goods charge, a point of sale ordinance, and on-bill financing of energy efficiency retrofits.

Promote Urban Solar. A campaign to enroll Bay Area cities in an advocacy campaign to convince the CPUC to adopt a “High Distributed Generation” scenario in which PG&E would be ordered to procure a substantial portion of it’s renewables from distributed generation sources. Bay Area cities would benefit from large scale renewable projects sited in their limits that would be subsidized through ratepayer recovery (as all generating facilities are). This would create jobs and revenue for cities, while helping them meet their greenhouse gas reduction goals.

Build Green Pathways Out of Poverty. We advocate for clean energy policies that include workforce development, provide local, living wage jobs, and create real opportunities for low-income residents. Early estimates suggest that a robust energy efficiency and solar financing program in Oakland could yield over 10,000 total job years (direct, indirect, and induced) by 2020.

Defend Community Choice Energy Programs. Despite the defeat of Prop 16, Community Choice initiatives still face an uphill battle against PG&E, which is using its financial power and its leverage with the CPUC to try to undermine existing Community Choice programs and prevent establishment of new ones. While each Community Choice initiative is local in nature, broad regional coordination and support can be decisive in the success of each effort. This effort will be to build a Bay Area wide political base for promoting and defending local Community Choice initiatives. One particular objective is to create a Community Choice program in Oakland.

Visit our website for more information on our Policy Platform.

Recent Accomplishments

• Thanks to the efforts of steering committee members, organizational members and volunteers, the Local Clean Energy Alliance played a key role in defeating Prop 16, the PG&E Power Grab
• Spurred Oakland to pass one of the strongest climate action goals in the US and develop a community input process for their climate action plan
• Launched the Green Faith In Action Project, helping homeowners in local congregations save money on their energy bills through low- or no-cost energy efficiency retrofits
• Built a coalition to draft innovative policy in Richmond to harness the foreclosure crisis and create green jobs through home energy upgrades

Get Involved!

Our regular monthly meetings occur every month at the Central Historic Building (where Bay Localize is located) at 436 14th Street (near the intersection of Broadway and 14th, just upstairs from 12th Street BART). For meeting times and information, please visit LocalCleanEnergy.org or call the Bay Localize office at (510) 834-0420.

Contact Us

Dave Room
Coordinator, Local Clean Energy Alliance
dave@baylocalize.org
436 14th Street, Suite 1216, Oakland, CA 94612
Web: http://www.localcleanenergy.org
Videos: http://localcleanenergy.blip.tv