March 2019
Policy Brief
Low-Income Multifamily Energy Savings Retrofits: Solutions to Increase Access to Incentives and Unlock Benefits

Improving the energy performance of existing buildings will be key to achieving California's greenhouse gas emission goals. But low-income, multifamily buildings face some of the greatest obstacles, including difficult access to capital, split incentives, complex financing arrangements, and competing renovation needs. To address these challenges, CLEE and UCLA School of Law's Emmett Institute have issued a  policy brief identifying solutions to increase access to energy efficiency incentives and unlock environmental, financial, and quality-of-life benefits for owners and residents alike. Among the solutions identified are:
  • The Legislature or Public Utilities Commission could create a single, statewide "one-stop shop" efficiency program administrator for users to obtain information about available programs, determine applicability, submit all filings, manage participation, and receive technical assistance.
  • The Legislature could create a long-term fund to support the one-stop shop administrator and subsidize advanced efficiency measures, allowing owner/developers to plan efficiency projects in line with their long-term obligations.
  • State energy regulators could create a comprehensive database to help prioritize retrofit projects and support Energy Commission energy data benchmarking and analysis efforts under AB 802 (Williams, 2015).
You can access the  policy brief  here. The full report, which will include these and many more policy recommendations, will be released later in 2019.

Faculty & Staff
In the News


Ethan Elkind testified at the State Capitol on March 5th before a joint session of the State Senate Housing & Governance and Finance Committees on the climate impacts of California's housing policies. 






Kathleen Miller and Michael Kiparsky write about California's water data challenges in their most recent op-ed in Capitol Weekly. 




 
Webinar
Welcoming Dave Jones to Berkeley Law and Insuring California in a Changing Climate 

You are invited to join former California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones and CLEE's Ethan Elkind for a free webinar on Wednesday, March 27 (note the corrected date and time from our previous Insights), which will include a discussion of Jones' new initiative in CLEE's Climate Program, his insights on the impact of climate change on the insurance and broader financial sectors, and the launch of CLEE's new symposium brief, Insuring California in a Changing Climate.  Participants will have the opportunity to ask Jones about his climate change efforts at the Department of Insurance and his views on California's risks and opportunities going forward.
 
Where:        Webinar
When:         Wednesday, March 27, 2019, 10:00-11:00am
RSVP:          Please RSVP for the free webinar here

Celebration
Berkeley Law Environmental Awards Banquet

Ecology Law Quarterly  and CLEE are co-hosting the Annual Banquet that celebrates all that our students, faculty, alumni, and environmental law practitioners have accomplished at Berkeley Law this year.  Ecology Law Quarterly   was the first student-run environmental law journal in the country, and remains a leading voice for environmental and energy scholarship. The banquet provides an opportunity for us to come together and celebrate that tradition, see the new and old faces of the journal, and to foster greater connectivity between students and those working in the field. The banquet also serves as a fundraiser for summer fellowships to support students pursuing work in public interest environmental law.
 
Where:        Grand Hall, Bancroft Hotel, Berkeley, CA
When:         Thursday, April 18, 2019, 6:00 - 9:00 pm
Tickets:       You can purchase tickets here  

Guests at our 2017 banquet honoring John Cruden, former Assistant Attorney General, Environment & Natural Resources Division, U.S. Department of Justice

Lunch & Learn
The Future of Finance in a Changing World

Please join on Wednesday, May 1, 2019 f or a lunch session with former California Insurance Commissioner and current CLEE Climate Risk Initiative Director Dave Jones. Jones will discuss why it is so vital that we assess and address the risk climate change poses to various financial sectors and the power such transformation holds. 

Where:         Baker Botts LLP
When:         May 1, 2019, 12:15-1:45pm
RSVP:          Please RSVP here 

                      

CLEE is dedicated to developing pragmatic policy solutions to critical environmental and energy challenges, and to supporting the education of tomorrow's leaders in this field. If you would like to support these efforts, please consider making a one-time or recurring donation through  our giving portal.