fossil fuels – Enviro Updates

Trump administration targets Petaluma in latest suit over fossil fuel limits

January 6, 2026

Phil Barber, PRESS DEMOCRAT

The Trump administration is suing the city of Petaluma, along with Morgan Hill in the South Bay, asking a U.S. District Court judge to block the cities from enforcing their bans on natural gas infrastructure in new buildings.

The lawsuit puts Petaluma, which adopted an “all-electric ordinance” in May 2021, front and center in the national debate over clean energy — and in the breach of America’s political divide, as evidenced by language in the government’s complaint.

“From the day President Trump took office, his Administration has prioritized cutting energy costs for all Americans, restoring consumer freedom, and unleashing American energy dominance,” the document reads.

“Sadly standing in the way of that progress, many states and localities have enacted ‘energy policies that threaten American energy dominance and our economic and national security,’” it continues, citing one of Trump’s executive orders.

The lawsuit, filed Monday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, refers to the city ordinances as “radical measures.”

Petaluma was among a number of California cities and counties that made a push toward all-electric building projects, following the city of Berkeley’s lead in 2019. They included Santa Rosa, Healdsburg and Sonoma County.

Climate Change & Energydevelopment, fossil fuels, housing, natural gas, natural gas ban

Fight over California coast and offshore oil drilling rekindled

October 31, 2025

Austin Murphy, PRESS DEMOCRAT

Richard Charter of Bodega Bay has spent his adult life protecting coasts and oceans, especially from the ravages of energy extraction. When crude oil starts pouring into the sea, his phone tends to go off — as it did around 3 a.m. on an April morning in 2010, following an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico.

It happened again in the small hours of Oct. 2, 2021, when a plume of oil reached the surface of the Pacific Ocean a few miles off the coast of Huntington Beach. That 25,000-gallon spill, from a ruptured underwater pipeline, fouled 16 miles of Orange County beaches, with oil washing ashore as far south as San Diego.

“I always seem to get the call in the middle of the night,” said Charter, who now works with municipalities up and down the California coast, helping coordinate their response to offshore drilling threats.

That group is on high alert following a recent Houston Chronicle story revealing Trump administration plans to open large swathes of the California coast to offshore drilling.

Climate Change & Energy, Sonoma CoastCordell Bank, fossil fuel infrastructure, fossil fuels, National Marine Sanctuary, ocean pollution

Op-Ed: The zombie gas station proposal that won’t die

March 14, 2025

Jenny Blaker & Woody Hastings, CONGAS

There will be a rally and news conference at the site: 874 North Wright Road, on March 25, 2-4 pm.

On April 10 the Santa Rosa Planning Commission will decide whether or not to approve a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for a new gas station at 874 North Wright Rd, (Intersection of Highway 12 and Fulton/Wright Roads), Santa Rosa. One of the requirements for a CUP is that the project should not be detrimental to the public health, safety and welfare. This proposal clearly is, and the Commission should reject it.

A proposal for a gas station at this site was rejected by the Planning Commission and the City Council in 2007 due to concerns about traffic safety, noise, idling cars, and proximity to the Joe Rodota trail and land zoned for housing. In a 2013 flip-flop it was approved, but the developer never acted and the permits expired.

Although Santa Rosa adopted an ordinance prohibiting new gas stations in 2022, in line with similar actions taken by the County and five other cities, this one was exempted not because it was superior in any way but only because it had a completed permit application. It was on the agenda for the Planning Commission in October 2024 but was postponed due to lack of the required public notification. In November 2024 it was postponed again because it was pointed out that there is an autogas fueling station right next door and for safety reasons it is against the city’s rules to have two fueling stations within 500 feet of one another.

Over 20 organizations, representing hundreds if not thousands of Sonoma County residents, oppose this project. It is not needed because there are already 10 gas stations within a 5-mile radius. Multiple concerns include traffic and safety issues, pollution of surface and groundwater and impacts to nearby wells, and proximity to land zoned for medium-density housing and the Joe Rodota Trail. Much has changed since 2013 and much more is known about the impacts to human health of toxic pollutants from gasoline, such as benzene which has been linked to childhood leukemia. The proposal is based on outdated studies including traffic studies from 2006-7. Many circumstances that have changed since 2013 have not been considered. This project conflicts with Santa Rosa’s own policies such as the Climate Action Plan, Climate Emergency Resolution, and the General Plan.

For more information contact the Coalition Opposing New Gas Stations (CONGAS) at contact.congas@gmail.com

Jenny Blaker & Woody Hastings are Co-coordinators of the Coalition Opposing New Gas Stations (CONGAS).

Climate Change & Energy, TransportationCONGAS, fossil fuel infrastructure, fossil fuels, gas station ban, gas stations

New bill critical to unlocking advancement toward increased geothermal power generation

September 30, 2024

Mary Callahan, PRESS DEMOCRAT

The much-anticipated statute is the key to unlocking expanded development of clean, renewable geothermal energy in and around The Geysers, officials say.

An obscure state bill signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last week could not seem less important. Or interesting.

Let’s be honest.

It describes how counties can now serve as lead agencies for environmental review of geothermal exploratory projects in California. Yawn.

But local officials say the much-anticipated statute is the key to unlocking expanded development of clean, renewable geothermal energy in and around The Geysers, advancing green energy goals here and across the West through more efficient and sustainable next-gen technologies that could be incubated here.

At stake is the chance for Sonoma Clean Power, the majority electrical supplier in Sonoma and Mendocino counties, to phase out remaining dependence on aged, highly polluting natural gas power plants that plug the supply gap when nightfall and unsuitable weather reduce availability of solar and wind power.

New geothermal energy approaches proposed for use in the Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino region could ensure a round-the-clock supply of renewable, 100% emission-free power for local consumers and for folks outside the area in the future, as well.

Climate Change & Energyfossil fuels, geothermal, renewable energy, Sonoma Clean Power, The Geysers

California ends gas line subsidies as it eyes an electric future

September 15, 2022

Zoe Woodcroft, EARTHJUSTICE

The California Public Utilities Commission voted today to end gas line allowances for new homes in a shift to climate-friendly construction

California made waves today as the first state in the country to end gas line extension allowances, a program that spends millions every year subsidizing fossil gas lines for new homes and buildings, as the state shifts to all-electric new construction. California is likely at the forefront of a trend, with states like Washington, Oregon, and New York all revisiting their gas line subsidies. The unanimous vote today by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is estimated to save California ratepayers over $160 million every year that was being funneled into incentivizing expansion of the fossil gas distribution system in California.

“The vote today in California is yet another palpable sign that the future is electric for homes and buildings,” said Matt Vespa, senior attorney on Earthjustice’s Right to Zero campaign. “All-electric homes are not only cheaper to build, but they also save California ratepayers money by avoiding the harmful expansion of the gas distribution system — and their clean air and climate benefits are simply priceless. California’s vote today to end gas line subsidies should spur a trend in other states looking into the obvious benefits of all-electric housing.”

Climate Change & Energyfossil fuel infrastructure, fossil fuels, natural gas

Climate controversy: California’s plan for handling crisis is flawed, advisors say

June 5, 2022

Nadia Lopez, CALMATTERS

California’s climate change plan fails to provide substantial evidence that capturing carbon will meet ambitious greenhouse gas goals, critics say. The plan “does California a disservice,” one state advisor said.

As California races to prevent the irreversible effects of climate change, some experts are questioning key policies that the state is counting on to meet its ambitious goals and accusing state officials of failing to provide substantial details to back up its claims.

The California Air Resources Board’s proposal, called a scoping plan, outlines policies that would transition the economy away from fossil fuels. The purpose of the plan is to fulfill state mandates to reduce planet-warming emissions 40% below 1990 levels by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2045.

In this year’s highly-anticipated climate policy blueprint, some critics say the state agency has not been transparent on how it plans to achieve its goals. The process has left legislators and others at the forefront of the climate discussion confused over the air board staff’s projections.

“The draft scoping plan does California a disservice,” said Danny Cullenward, an economist and vice chair of the Independent Emissions Market Advisory Committee, a group of five experts appointed by the governor and top legislators to assess the effectiveness of the state’s landmark cap and trade program. “It focuses on long-term goals at the expense of near-term action.”

At two recent state committee meetings, environmentalists, academics and climate policy experts who serve on state advisory panels voiced concerns over California’s approach to tackling the climate crisis. They called the plan incomplete, ambiguous and confusing.

Climate Change & EnergyCARB, carbon capture, emissions reduction, fossil fuels, ghg emissions, renewable energy

Op Ed: California can do better than carbon neutrality by 2045

May 22, 2022

Daniel Kammen, THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Ten years ago, many Californians could not have imagined the climate nightmare we are living today — dark orange skies during wildfire season, heat waves in the dead of winter, mandatory water restrictions amid crippling drought.

Without urgent action, we may well look back on this moment as the calm before the storm. Over the course of the next decade, California’s biggest climate challenges — hotter summers, a shorter rainy season and more destructive wildfires — could double in intensity.

It’s against this backdrop that the California Air Resources Board last week released a draft of our state’s scoping plan, a blueprint for combating climate change that will guide California’s policy for years. Despite the stakes for Californians, and although my research indicates the state could actually become carbon negative by 2030, the draft proposal would delay reaching carbon neutral until 2045. The barriers to a target of 2030 are political, not technical.

The draft plan calls for investment in new fossil fuel electricity resources, and it relies on unproven and costly carbon capture technologies that would lock in fossil fuel pollution. Adopting this approach would be lazy, nonsensical and racially unjust. During the current 45-day period for public review of the plan, California has the chance to choose a smarter path.

Renewable energy, even when coupled with energy storage, is cheaper than fossil fuels. California’s own state laws say that renewable energy must be prioritized before building out expensive and polluting gas power plants. Instead, California must set ambitious targets that immediately cut pollution through no-regrets strategies.

Climate Change & Energycarbon capture, fossil fuels, ghg emissions, ghg reduction, renewable energy