SoCalGas, which services the southern half of California, is owned by Sempra, a Gas & Oil company with major liquid natural gas reserves in Texas. For this reason, two things are happening:
(1) SoCalGas bought expensive gas from Sempra’s Texas branch, making Southern Californians’ gas bills soar this past winter, and
(2) they are behind a major astroturf campaign to stop California from lowering its use of “natural” gas in accordance with its environmental goals.
Via CBS 8:
“It might surprise a lot of people to know that your utility is using your money to shape California's policy,” said Sara Gersen, an attorney with the environmental law group Earthjustice, a party involved the lobbying rulemaking litigation. [...]
“The trend toward electrifying homes is an existential threat to SoCalGas's business,” said Gersen. “SoCalGas and its parent company Sempra have a business model that relies on selling fossil fuels.”
The Sacramento Bee uncovered what activists have assumed to be true for years: SoCalGas is paying the California Restaurant Association — and Asian and Latino spokespeople in particular — to convince their elected representatives that there is a major grassroots groundswell against switching from gas to electric appliances. They specifically say that induction woks cannot replace woks on gas stoves without being culturally insensitive.
[A]dvocates and experts say SoCalGas and the restaurant association fueled concerns with misinformation, masking them in the language of social justice to undermine California’s response to climate change. In truth, an increasing number of chefs prefer to cook with electric appliances — woks included. “Gas utilities are pushing a false narrative right now that electrification means the end of restaurants,” said Charlie Spatz, research manager at the Energy and Policy Institute. “This is manufactured outrage and the National Restaurant Association, and their affiliates have gone along with it.”
Gas appliances in buildings (water heaters, furnaces, A/C, gas stoves, etc) are the second largest greenhouse gas emissions in my city — second only to emissions from transportation. So, switching from gas to electric appliances is critical to any climate strategy. The purpose of SoCalGas’ campaign is to stop framing the decrease in “natural” gas usage as a climate issue, and instead frame it as a culture war.
From the beginning of its fight against burgeoning local gas bans, SoCalGas sought to recruit both Asian and Latino-owned restaurants, businesses and community leaders as spokespeople to advocate against electrification. SoCalGas internal emails from 2019 show that utility executive Robert Cruz was actively recruiting culinary leaders in predominately Chinese-American enclaves of the San Gabriel Valley as part of the company’s Californians for Balanced Energy Solutions campaign.
The money SoCalGas and Sempra gave to the California Restaurant Association to campaign against energy efficiency is an illegal form of lobbying. It’s also giving city and county representatives pause — many cities that moved forward on bans against new “natural” gas hookups in new buildings have started backing down over concerns how it might affect their most vulnerable communities. However, they were not told the whole story:
The environment is an important consideration for many of the state’s left-leaning local elected officials and regulators, but so is appearing sensitive to the concerns of communities of color. “It’s laughable for SoCalGas to pretend they’re looking out for working class people of color. Oil and gas executives have no problem polluting the air and water of frontline communities across the state,” said Amee Raval, policy and research director of the Asian Pacific Environmental Network. “Then they turn around and use our families to defend their profits? It’s astroturfing 101.”
Got Time?
If you live in California, pass this info along to your city, county and state-level elected representatives, and to friends and family that may be taken in by this propaganda. We can differ over how to achieve our climate goals, but one thing we can agree upon — no one likes to be tricked by the oil and gas lobby.
Got Money?
Donate to Earth Justice, the climate lawyers taking on SoCalGas
If you’re looking for boots-on-the-ground environmental causes, please browse environmental non-profits at Earthgives.org