150808_Fresno-Bee_Alexander-Sherriffs-and-William-B-Marcus

SPORTS  NEWS  ENTERTAINMENT  OPINION 
94°
 OPINION COLUMNS &
 BLOGS  AUGUST 8, 2015
 Alexander Sherriffs and William B. Marcus:
 Clean-energy economy for the Valley
By 2020, the clean-energy sector will exceed the
 economic engine of the state’s agricultural
 industry
The San Joaquin Valley can, should, and must
 play a central role in that transformation
Wednesday at Fresno State, “Unlocking
 Renewables: A Valley Summit” will explore how
 the Valley can join California’s clean-energy
 economy
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BY ALEXANDER SHERRIFFS AND WILLIAM B.
 MARCUS
   
The San Joaquin Valley is a remarkable place.
 It has played a vital role in the development of
 the economy and the character of the state.
 The Midway-Sunset and Kern Oil Fields
 produced over 5 billion barrels of oil since
 being discovered in the 1890s. Natural water
 run-off and later some of the world’s largest
 public works brought water to the Valley floor
 creating an agricultural treasure, producing
 250 different crops, half the nation’s fruits,
 vegetables and table foods, and one third of its
 milk.
The Valley has been sharing the fruits of its
 natural endowments with others for over a
 century, but many of the negative impacts
 have stayed local while the benefits were
 exported. Our transportation corridors are
 critical to the regional, state and national
 economy, but not without local impacts: While
 goods movement has gotten cleaner, diesel
 emissions are still the No. 1 cause of cancer
 from air pollution. Alas, our childhood asthma
 rates in the Valley top 99% of America and our
 air pollution causes over 1,000 premature
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deaths every year here. The monetary effect
 on our local economy is consistently ignored.
 The direct health care costs and indirect costs
 such as lost work and lost school days are
 calculated to be between $1 and $3 billion
 every year. Ironically, the land of plenty also
 has the state’s worst food insecurity. Rampant
 unemployment and drought are threatening to
 undo our very way of life.
But change is possible and happening.
 California is on a fast-track to revolutionize its
 energy system and reduce fossil fuel use. In
 the next 15 years, we will transform the way
 we make and use energy with cleaner power,
 efficiency measures and bioenergy solutions.
 The San Joaquin Valley can, should, and must
 play a central role in that transformation and
 reap the benefits a clean-energy economy
 brings to a region and its people.
By 2020, the clean-energy sector will exceed
 the economic engine of the state’s agricultural
 industry. California’s clean-energy industry will
 more than triple from 2012 to 2020, when it will
 account for more than 5% of the state
 economy, according to the California Air
 Resources Board Research Division. But right
 now, nearly two-thirds of California’s advanced
 energy employment is in Southern California
 and the Bay Area. How can the Valley be
 integrated into that burgeoning clean-energy
 economy?
Other regions profited when California focused
 policies and programs on their clean-energy
 potential: We captured the wind in Tehachapi,
 installed more solar than any other state, and
 we rank second in the nation in installed
 energy-efficiency measures. California virtually
 transformed the auto industry pushing better

mileage and lower emissions. Today, more
 electric vehicles are sold here than anywhere
 else, and clean cars are a normal part of the
 transportation vernacular the world over.
Billions of investments flowed into California
 through these efforts, bringing jobs, high-tech
 industry and tax revenues to local and state
 coffers. But not enough programs and
 investments focused on the Valley. The region
 is rich in human and natural resources that
 must be put into play. Building and operating
 bioenergy plants, fuel cells, energy storage,
 conservation measures and other clean
 energies put thousands of blue-collar and
 white-collar professionals to work, and save
 consumers money. More can happen in the
 Valley if we focus attention and investments in
 the region.
On Wednesday, Aug. 12, at Fresno State,
 “Unlocking Renewables: A Valley Summit” will
 bring together state and local agencies,
 utilities, local businesses, residents,
 environmental groups, educational institutions,
 and clean-energy developers to try and answer
 the question of how the Valley can join
 California’s clean-energy economy. The
 summit will engage stakeholders on ways to
 increase renewable energy in the Valley, while
 protecting prime farmland and the
 environment. Participants will explore what
 programs and targeted investments could
 bring local air benefits and improve the social
 and environmental justice situation in the
 region.
Embracing the clean-energy revolution will
 benefit the economy and health of the Valley.
 The Legislature directed that as well as

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 lowering greenhouse gas emissions, a portion
 of cap and trade revenues must be spent in
 and to the benefit of disadvantaged
 communities that, for example, suffer
 cumulative pollution impacts, have low
 education rates and high unemployment.
That description unfortunately does fit much of
 our great San Joaquin Valley. Valley residents,
 businesses, educational institutions, and
 community organizations have an opportunity
 we must take advantage of. On Wednesday
 and in the coming months you have an
 opportunity to improve life in our Valley. We
 ask you to join the dialogue.
Alexander Sherriffs, M.D., of Fowler is a member of the
 California Air Resources Board. William B. Marcus is
 chief economist for JBS Energy in West Sacramento.
   
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