PG&E Contributes $1 Million to Launch Funding Challenge as Part of Respond, Rebuild & Resilience Strategy for California Comm...
November 13 2017 - 1:00PM
Business Wire
PG&E Corporation today announced the contribution of $1
million in shareholder funds to launch the “California Climate
Challenge,” a new corporate-giving initiative dedicated to helping
communities prepare for, withstand, and recover from extreme events
caused by climate change.
Jumpstarting the challenge effort, organized by the Bay Area
Council, is part of PG&E’s larger strategy to assist
communities in confronting the consequences of climate change. The
strategy has three major pillars: Respond – help first responders
be more effective; Rebuild – help communities rebuild; and
Resilience – identify solutions to increase infrastructure
resilience.
“We are already experiencing the reality of climate change in
California – more severe and more frequent storms, heatwaves,
wildfires, and drought, along with the threat of rising sea levels.
PG&E is incorporating this ‘new normal’ into how we manage
risks, plan, and invest our resources. But our collective response
to extreme events such as the tragic North Bay firestorms must go
beyond the immediate work of rebuilding what was lost. A focus on
resilience will strengthen our communities for the future,” said
Geisha Williams, CEO and President of PG&E Corporation.
Respond: To help communities respond, PG&E will
continue working with first responders, including firefighting
agencies, on increasing their effectiveness in both preventing and
combatting wildfires. For example, PG&E donated $25,000 to the
Potter Valley Volunteer Fire Department in recognition of their
heroic success in stopping wildfire flames from destroying a
facility essential to the town’s water supply. The company also
donated $15,000 to Santa Rosa Firefighters Local 1401 to fund their
relief efforts.
"The hardworking people of PG&E and the Santa Rosa Fire
Department work side by side in the field during emergencies to
keep our community safe, which is why we are now excited to work
together in bringing our community together and begin the road to
recovery," said Tim Aboudara Jr., President of the Santa Rosa
Firefighters Local 1401.
Rebuild: To help communities in the North Bay rebuild,
PG&E donated $2 million to the North Bay Fire Recovery Fund,
distributed $1 million to local communities, organized volunteer
efforts, and created resources for customers and builders. We will
continue to partner with federal, state and local government
agencies around critical community needs related to both temporary
assistance and longer term, sustainable campaigns.
“These funds are immensely helpful as we support our local
immigrant families to get back on their feet. It’s going to be a
long road back for many of the people we serve and all help is
appreciated,” said Josefina Hurtado, Executive Director of Puertas
Abiertas, a community resource center in the Napa Valley.
Resilience: In addition to funding the California Climate
Challenge, PG&E is to helping to support resilience through
other public-private partnerships, including this year’s launch of
the Better Together Resilient Communities grant program and
state-level participation in the Tree Mortality Task Force and
Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program.
PG&E’s participation in the California Climate Challenge is
designed to attract resources from across the California business
community, while also providing a framework for corporate,
government, and environmental leadership concerning the risks that
climate change is creating for the state’s infrastructure and
economy.
The challenge will raise money to support research, planning,
and implementation of community-level “climate resilience” projects
focused on California’s water, energy, and telecommunications
networks, as well as natural ecosystems and wildland-urban
boundaries. The total amount raised – and the process for selecting
projects – will be announced during the September 2018 Global
Climate Action Summit in San Francisco.
“California’s business climate is inseparable from its actual
climate. Much of California’s infrastructure was built under a
colder, wetter, more predictable climate than we have today.
Protecting our homes and employment centers from extreme weather
events, such as droughts, floods and wildfires, requires a
top-to-bottom assessment of our existing resilience, and fresh
thinking on how to best adapt,” said Jim Wunderman, President and
CEO of the Bay Area Council.
The California Climate Challenge Fund will be administered by
the Bay Area Council Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable
organization that supports initiatives to build stronger, more
vibrant communities, a healthy economy, and a more innovative,
globally competitive and sustainable Bay Area region.
“We applaud this initiative to fund a public-private partnership
for climate resilience in California. Businesses are concerned
about climate risks, which have the potential to cause wide-ranging
disruptions to their operations and supply chains. Corporate
support for tackling climate change is only growing stronger, and
companies clearly see the benefit of staying ahead of the game and
doing their part,” said Mindy Lubber, CEO and President of Ceres
and a member of PG&E’s Sustainability Advisory Council.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E
Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas
and electric energy companies in the United States. Based in San
Francisco, with more than 20,000 employees, the company delivers
some of the nation’s cleanest energy to nearly 16 million people in
Northern and Central California. For more information, visit
www.pge.com and pge.com/news.
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