First Name: | Kirsten |
---|---|
Last Name: | Liske |
Email Address: | kliske@ecoact.org |
Affiliation | Ecology Action/CA Green Business Program |
Subject | Specific Comments to Concept Plan/Funding Guidelines - California Green Business Program |
Comment |
Thank you for the opportunity to provide comment to the Concept Paper and Funding Guidelines. This set of comments provides written record of the verbal comments I provided at the 8/3/15 workshop in Sacramento on behalf of the California Green Business Program, and also lists the specific citations within the two documents we offer considerations for but did not have time to present in the three minutes alloted. Ecology Action is the administrator for the California Green Business Program. The Program has provided technical assistance to over 10,000 small and medium businesses since 1996, helping them implement comprehensive green practices. Our onsite assistance, audits and certification leads to verified outcomes that are not currently captured in the GGRF program and creates a green economy where consumers can vote with their dollars by frequenting green businesses. The program is funded and implemented by 24 cities and counties around the state and serves over 50% of California’s population. 17% of our currently certified businesses are located in disadvantaged communities as identified by the CalEnviroscreen 2.0 tool. The Program was authorized by the legislature as the official California Green Business Certification program model in 2011 (AB 913, Feuer). The program received some fiscal support from DTSC before the budget crisis and the legislation but due to fiscal challenges no financial support was tied to the bill or has come from agencies since. Today we are here to strongly support the inclusion of a small businesses category in the Auction Proceeds Investment Plan. The 3.4 million small to medium businesses in California account for 99% of the state’s employers, employ 52% of the workforce and represent 45% of the commercial energy use in our state. As such this sector provides a significant, if distributed, opportunity to reduce greenhouse gasses, strengthen local economies and through engaging employees, generate a commitment to climate protecting practices that can spread from business to customer, and from work to home. As one example of what’s possible with investment from the GGRF into small business programs, the California Green Business Program has a strategic plan to scale to serve 40,000 businesses by 2040, so that we can mainstream green in California’s small business economy. Doing so would provide verified voluntary emission reductions of at least 900 thousand metric tons of greenhouse gasses annually and reduce 125 million gallons of water use each year. These, among the other environmental co-benefits of the program would save small businesses $30 million annually in utility bills and rebates. Beyond these outcomes, which are based on our current program model, we estimate that as much as a doubling of energy efficiency outcomes would occur if we could offer funding for project implementation for the business, which the program is unable to provide now. Our 3,000 currently certified businesses are also keenly interested in solar, and we are currently estimating the uptake potential and clean energy outcomes we could realize if funding were available to support financing and/or installation as part of our Green Business Certification process. Based on these compelling facts, we respectfully request that the Investment Plan: • Retains the priority of funding small business programs (Section H. Rural Comm./SBs, Page 7.) • Includes more detailed information about the potential of small businesses (such as the number of small businesses in California and their energy and water use, etc) so that this category can generate and sustain broad support through the review process (Section H. Rural Comm./SBs, Page 7) • We request that the plan considers small businesses as well as residents when referencing Disadvantaged Communities, since businesses can both contribute to outcomes and benefit from investments, such as referenced in the Disadvantaged community Section in the Clean Energy and Energy Efficiency chapter (Section 4. DACs, P. 16) • We request that the plan also include nonprofits as potential recipients under the Energy Efficiency and Clean Energy category, as noted in Figure 5. Page 17. • We request that small businesses are considered and listed as beneficiaries and potential programs under all applicable sections such as Water and Energy, Energy Efficiency and Clean Energy, and Sustainable Communities • We additionally strongly support the themes other than the small business priority, (III. Overarching Themes ,Pages 4-6) including: o Item A: Beyond 2020. While this is clearly important for the plan overall, it also can be realized with programs like the CAGBP that implements lasting retrofits and cultural changes in the businesses, which is reinforced by mandatory recertification audits every 3 years to ensure the business has sustained its practices. o Item B. Extends Benefits to all Californians. While the CAGBP has a strong history of service to DACS (17% of our businesses are located in DACs), the numbers of businesses we serve are not representative of the population percentage of those communities in the state (25%) and additional resources are required to ensure services are provided with parity, using culturally appropriate methods. The CAGBP has a component of its strategic plan specifically addressing this issue. o Item D. An integrated Systems Approach to funding projects. The California Green Business Program’s strength is that it offers a comprehensive one-stop-shop systems approach for businesses, but due to that has had a challenges securing funding to support program operations from siloed agencies who prioritize only one environmental media area in their funding programs. o Item E. Integrated Projects in Disadvantaged Communities to Support Local Climate Action. While the CAGBP is not an infrastructure project it foes offer an integrated systems approach, and is frequently a pillar of local Climate Action Plans due to its verified carbon reduction outcomes. o Item F. Efficient Financing. Whether we can deliver cost coverage, cost share or financing for projects, it will help businesses commit to energy efficiency, water efficiency, waste reduction and renewables retrofits that, while identified in our process now, are not financially within reach even with utility rebates and programs. o We additionally have comments specific to the Funding Guidelines, which include: • Adding requirements for Program Agencies to include scoring preferences and selection criteria that consider the environmental co-benefits, job creation and economic benefits of projects in competitive solicitations, and • That Agencies select projects that provide verified outcomes in these areas to realize the full breadth of AB 32 goals. (Solicitation Materials, 3. Quantification Methods, and 4. Selection Criteria P. 39-40) The comments I have provided in person represent many other voices. Over 54 small businesses and 5 local certified green business program implementation agencies have already submitted comments online supporting a small business category in the Investment Plan. On their behalf, I thank you for your time and consideration of the potential for small businesses to make a big difference in growing California’s green economy. |
Attachment |
Original File Name:
Date and Time Comment Was Submitted: 2015-08-05 14:49:28 |
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