Green Solutions for Governor Newsom's Climate Crisis Challenges

For Immediate Release: April 16, 2019,

Contact: Laura Wells, 510-504-4254

San Francisco, CA -The Green Party of California released the following statement today on Green Solutions for Governor Newsom's Climate Crisis Challenges

For Earth Day 2019, the Green Party of California reaffirms its commitment to ecological wisdom and social justice, as two of the four pillars set forth by the Green Party of the United States.
The current climate crisis that has brought wildfires and floods to our communities is the result of decades of profit-focused energy and environmental policies by our elected officials.  In California, low-income communities and communities of color are most likely to live near refineries, fracking wells, flood-prone and fire-prone areas, leaving them most vulnerable to the catastrophic impact of climate change.

The Green Party of California is challenging Governor Gavin Newsom to act boldly and go further than delivering on the promises of his State of the State Address for a clean, healthy and sustainable future for Californians.

The climate emergency demands a comprehensive and integrated approach by the Newsom administration, including an immediate halt to building new fossil fuel infrastructure, aggressive reductions in oil production, massive investments in renewable energy infrastructure, democratization of utilities, support of sustainable agriculture, and responsible water policies.  

Governor Newsom has stated that he is in favor of banning fracking in the state and would not accept campaign contributions from oil and gas companies. “That’s not enough,” says Green Party of California spokesperson Laura Wells. "We demand a just transition to 100% renewable energy and a commitment to address the climate disasters ravaging our frontline communities. We demand our State officials finally put people and planet over profit."

> According to the American Lung Association's State of the Air 2018 report, California is home to 8 of the top 10 most polluted cities in the nation. The Los Angeles and Bakersfield metropolitan areas top the lists of the most polluted areas in the country for unhealthy ozone pollution and particle pollution days. The 17 oil refineries and close to 35 natural gas power plants in the state continue to poison our air and waterways with devastating impacts on the health of Californians.

> Although new vehicle emission and fuel standards as well as a shrinking fleet of gas plants are helping to reduce these impacts, extreme weather events exacerbate the risks associated with pollution. The Green Party of California asks for a phase out of oil refineries and power plants, and a moratorium on granting any new drilling and pipeline construction permits in the state.

> As recently as November 2018, Northern California had some of the worst air quality in the world due to the Butte County Camp Fire, the deadliest and most destructive fire in California history.  The PG&E's negligence that resulted in California’s many deadly fires demonstrates how years of profit-driven policies are burdening those who can least afford the costs of climate change.
The Green Party of California calls for Gov. Newsom to democratize our energy resources and transition the state’s electricity grid infrastructure to a public clean energy model that supports local Community Choice Energy programs and municipal utilities.

> The Green Party of California's water platform emphasizes a holistic "watershed approach" to managing our desert state's precious water resources. The principle of bioregionalism - living within the means of a region's natural resources - as well as water conservation must be essential parts of any responsible and sustainable water policy. Likewise, ecological wisdom demands an agricultural practice that conserves water, soil and energy with a minimum of pollution. We must shift from large-scale biocide agribusinesses to small-scale organic family farms with an emphasis on biological diversity in crop cultivation and regional approaches to food supplies.

> We ask Gov. Newsom to stop the Twin Tunnels project and address long-overdue water infrastructure upgrades and clean water access in the Central Valley in a way that does not burden low-income families or jeopardize the Delta ecosystems. Any Tunnel project will primarily benefit powerful agribusiness interests in the San Joaquin Valley at the expense of family farms, tax payers and the environment.
These policies must include turning off Nestle's profit tap and stopping future pillaging of California aquifers by bottling companies.

As 2019 Earth Day approaches, the Green Party of California urges Gov. Newsom to show real leadership and commitment to address the climate crisis. We ask him to implement a California Green New Deal to transition the state towards a fair and sustainable future in which ALL Californians are protected from corporate greed, and where future generations are spared the devastating consequences of climate change.

- Green Party of California