Modernizing California’s manufacturing sector is a win for climate, economy | Opinion
California has built its reputation as a hub of innovation and a leader on climate. We led on tailpipe standards, pioneered cap-and-invest and showed the world that advancing on clean energy and building the world’s fourth-largest economy can go hand in hand.
But there’s one sector we’ve kept on the backburner: the factories across the state that use old technologies to make the goods we love and depend on, from tortilla chips to toilet paper. California’s industrial sector is the second-largest source of climate pollution in the state, and it severely lacks the resources needed to help businesses modernize facilities to cut climate and air pollution.
The good news is that solutions are ready to go: Industrial heat pumps and thermal batteries can clean up manufacturing today, and we can seize this opportunity with Assembly Bill 1280. Introduced by Assemblymember Robert Garcia, D-Rancho Cucamonga, this bill would expand the California Energy Commission’s Industrial Decarbonization and Improvement of Grid Operations grant program.
A Merced County cheese processor and a large industrial laundry in Stanislaus County have already used this program to make the switch to cleaner technologies, proving these upgrades can simultaneously reduce local pollution, create jobs, cut climate emissions, reduce operating costs and help stabilize our electric grid.
The bill would also make it easier for manufacturers to afford upgrades by providing low-cost loans through the state’s Green Bank — an initiative of the state treasurer’s office that finances projects aimed at sustainability — and ensure projects meet strong labor standards and prioritize communities that have borne the brunt of industrial pollution.
Modernizing this antiquated machinery is also critical for Californians’ health. The industrial sector’s outdated equipment is a huge source of pollution. According to a recent report from the American Lung Association, upgrading industrial heating equipment from gas combustion to zero-emissions equipment could protect 3,220 Californians from an early death and prevent nearly 2 million asthma attacks in California by 2050 — delivering an estimated $47.5 billion in public health benefits statewide.
Beyond its health benefits, modernizing our manufacturing sector is a smart economic strategy. More than 35,000 manufacturers across the state employ over 1.3 million people and contribute 12% of California’s gross domestic product.
Supporting the installation of clean, efficient heating technologies is an opportunity to keep consumer goods affordable and ensure manufacturers continue to operate here and employ workers across California for decades to come.
AB 1280 has the united support of labor unions, manufacturers, environmental justice groups, Republicans and Democrats because it demonstrates a commitment to California’s workers, communities and global competitiveness.
Teresa Cheng is the California director for Industrious Labs, a company dedicated to decarbonizing the manufacturing industry. Vince Sugrue is the state legislative director for Sheet Metal Workers Local Union No. 104.