Energy Commissioner McAllister Discusses Barriers to Energy Efficiency in Low-Income Communities

California Energy Commissioner Andrew McAllister appeared on Univision in Sacramento to discuss energy efficiency hurdles for low-income communities.

His Aug. 16 interview on Univision’s “Despierta Sacramento!” focused on California’s efforts in clean energy and energy efficiency. McAllister touched on what the Energy Commission is doing to help break down barriers in low-income communities.

"We’re preparing a report to identify key energy policies that we will recommend to lawmakers, as well as program improvements to more effectively educate communities and provide opportunities for employment,” said McAllister.

His interview with the Spanish television station came less than a week after an Aug. 12 workshop at the Energy Commission that focused on barriers and recommendations to increase access to renewable energy, energy efficiency and small business contracting opportunities for low-income communities.

The workshop was part of the public outreach that the Energy Commission is conducting for the Senate Bill 350 barriers study, which will summarize the barriers and offer possible solutions. Under SB 350, the Legislature directed the Energy Commission to complete and publish the study by January 2017.

SB 350, which Governor Edmund Brown Jr. signed into law October 2015, established new energy efficiency and renewable electricity targets by 2030 to support California's long-term climate goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.

SB 350 increases California’s renewable electricity procurement goal from 33 percent by 2020 to 50 percent by 2030.

Fact sheets about the barriers study are available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Hmong, Vietnamese, Korean, and Tagalog.

View McAllister’s interview here.