Commentary: Petaluma City Council right to focus on local climate impacts

A letter in the May 6, 2021, edition of the Petaluma Argus-Courier questioned the economic wisdom of Petaluma's new all-electric code for new construction, contending that the natural gas ban would result in the "poor paying for elite dreams.“ The letter further suggested that the ordinance would do virtually nothing to combat climate change and that the city is too small to make an impact.

As the council member who placed the all-electric code into the city's goals in April 2019, and who pushed to get this on our agenda, I'll challenge both assertions.

Every builder I've spoken with in the last three to four years has agreed that avoiding the cost of constructing gas lines results in lower project costs. The city has had a de facto all-electric code for about three or four years. By and large, builders don't balk at making their proposed developments all-electric. All-electric reduces construction costs a bit.

The letter writer also projects the cost of cleaner energy (solar, wind, geothermal) against the cost of natural gas out for decades, suggesting that natural gas will always be cheaper than the electricity produced from solar and wind, citing one study out of New Zealand. Projecting the cost of energy out decades has rarely worked out for the predictor. The reality is that solar power is getting cheaper by the year and has been for the better part of this century. Battery storage capabilities are improving annually too, making the energy produced by solar and wind more available at night and on calm days. And solar and wind and are not a declining resource.

The economic future of the entire world is tied to the production and distribution of clean electricity. Don't take the word of a council member from a small city. Take the actions of GM, Ford, VW and the energy companies that in the past have thrived on fossil fuels, but now see that clean energy technologies are the way of the future. These companies are not changing because they suddenly turned into the tooth fairy. These companies know where the profits of the future will be. In clean electricity and clean vehicles.

As to the tiny dent the Petaluma all-electric code will have on climate change: The climate crisis is not just going to be solved by the actions of national governments. Every action taken by individuals, businesses and local government that turns our collective energy use in the direction of clean electricity and away from fossil fuels is moving the world toward a better climate future. It will take some time and I agree with the letter writer that 2030 is ambitious for the city. But I'd rather be ambitious than indifferent.

The all-electric code is just the latest of the many steps in positively dealing with climate change by the city. Later this year, the city will begin installing solar panels on four of its facilities. The city will pay nothing for this construction and will save substantially on its electric bill. At some point, the city will install solar panels at its wastewater treatment plant. I've been advocating for floating solar at the plant for years, and expect that City staff will move in that direction later this year. That project will also reduce the City's greenhouse gas footprint and reduce its electricity bill. My guess is that the project will also not require payment by the city to get up and running. All of this makes economic sense along with being environmentally wise.

Every person, business or government that trades out its gas powered vehicles for cleaner vehicles, that puts solar panels on their property, that chooses Sonoma Clean Power's Evergreen as its electricity provider (as the city did earlier this year) and every individual that changes out gas appliances for electric moves the needle toward a better climate future. The council did the right thing for the environment and the economy with this action.

Dave King is a Petaluma City Council member and vice-chair of the Sonoma Clean Power Board of Directors.