University of California, San Diego
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy

UC San Diego is a member of the San Diego Climate Collaborative and advocates for and works on clean tech, clean energy and climate policies and partnerships in collaboration with partners like the Center for Sustainable Energy, San Diego Regional Governments (SANDAG), and other city, county and regional agencies, non-profits, businesses and other partners.

Since 2017 UC San Diego has been working with Project Conern International. In 2017, UC San Diego signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Project Concern International (PCI) to jointly advance anti-human trafficking efforts in San Diego County. The MoU was signed by UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla and PCI’s President & CEO Carrie Hessler-Radelet. As part of the MoU, UC San Diego officially joined PCI’s Business Alliance Against Human Trafficking. This coalition of San Diego-based corporations focuses on implementing best practices that actively address the root causes of sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. https://www.pciglobal.org/shining-a-spotlight-on-sex-trafficking-in-san-diego
http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/pressrelease/uc_san_diego_project_concern_international_partner_to_curb_human_traffickin

UC State Government Relations (SGR) serves as the University's primary representative to state elected officials and agencies, providing advocacy on legislation and public policies that provide for, extend, and enhance the University's authority to conduct its business operations in a manner that is efficient and sustainable as well as advocating against measures that would limit this authority.

o The UC Office of the President's Wholesale Power Program (""WPP"") Public Policy Involvement: The University of California Wholesale Power Program is in regular communication with UC's state government relations and policy teams review and track proposed energy-related legislation at the state level. As a regulated load serving entity (""LSE"", a.k.a. an Electric Service Provider or ""ESP"") UC often participates in the implementation phase of legislation within state regulatory proceedings.
UC, in its role as an ESP, is regulated by the CPUC and CEC (California Public Utilities Commission (""CPUC""), the California Energy Commission (""CEC"").) We also have to transact through/via the California Independent System Operator (""CAISO"") for our energy needs. We also report the California Air Resources Board (""CARB"").
Recent highlights of WPP activity at the state level include:

- UC staff attended a series of CPUC En Banc meetings and informal public workshops focusing on consumer and retail choice in California. Mark Byron, the UC Office of the President executive director of renewable energy programs, was a panelist on the topic of ""What Consumers Want"" for the May 2017 En Banc meeting hosted at the CalEPA building in Sacramento.

- UC became a party to two CPUC proceedings related to the Power Charge Indifference Adjustment (""PCIA""), which is an exit fee borne by customers who do not take full service from an Investor Owned Utility (""IOU). UC has approximately 300,000 MWh of load in this category. In the consolidated ERRA proceeding we are seeking PCIA credits that have been withheld by PG&E. In the PCIA Reform/Replacement proceeding, we are advocating for revisions to the PCIA that are transparent, predictable, and prevent cost shifting to departed customers, as well as establishing a PCIA ""sunset"" timeline and creating a buy-out option for future PCIA charges.

- UC also filed comments regarding:
o Renewable Portfolio Standard (""RPS"") penalty/waiver reforms,
o Implementation of mandatory Integrated Resource Plans (""IRPs"") for all LSEs, pursuant to SB350, and
o The CEC's proposal to implement Greenhouse Gas (""GHG"")Accounting methodology as part of the required annual power source disclosure process, pursuant to AB1110
As a regulated LSE, we also routinely file progress reports with all the aforementioned agencies related to capacity obligations, RPS compliance, power supply sources, and retail sales.

UC San Diego Professor David Victor is a professor of international relations and co-director of the Laboratory on International Law and Regulation at the School. His research focuses on highly regulated industries and how regulation affects the operation of major energy markets. Victor is author of ""Global Warming Gridlock,"" which explains why the world has not made much diplomatic progress on the problem of climate change while also exploring new strategies that would be more effective. Dr. Victor has actively participated in the state, national and international climate negotiations and meetings. Dr. Victor is also the Chairman of the San Onofre Nuclear Plant Decommissioning Engagement Panel, which is working at the State and National level to find safe and environmental sustainable alternatives for completing the decommissioning of the plant.

UC San DIego works closely with partners like the California Energy Commission, the California Public Utilities Commission, CalEPA and others to advocate for policies that support measures that mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, like expansion of electric vehicle infrastructure, especially for low income communities.

UC Federal Government Relations is the University's liaison to the federal government, working with Congress, the administration, federal agencies and national organizations to advocate for the University and its missions in education, research and public service. Examples include: -- Convening UC faculty and staff to host Congressional briefings. Congressional briefings that highlight the impact of the University's sustainability efforts on campus operations and showcase UC as a model for other institutions are a part of the University's effort to demonstrate the value of investing in UC and advocate for the federal funding that supports the University's energy and sustainability goals. –
Participating in DC lobby days, including the annual Coalition for National Science Funding Day on Capitol Hill. Representatives from UC campuses attend meetings with members of Congress and their staff and contribute to the National Science Foundation (NSF) project exhibit. –
On Jan 20 2021, on the same day the White House announced that the U.S. would rejoining the Paris climate agreement, the University of California released a statement affirming its commitments to the goals of the Paris agreement and doubling down on its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2025. –
In October 2018, the University of California system was one of two universities in the nation to receive an award from the United States Environmental Protection Agency its efforts to expand renewable sources of energy. The annual award recognizes the nation's leading green power users for their commitment and contribution to helping advance the development of the nation's voluntary green power market. The UC has gone on to be recognized in 2019 and 2020 as well.
--On February 6, 2018, the University of California announced that it had assembled an international coalition of 13 research universities across the United States, Canada and Mexico - called the University Climate Change Coalition, or UC3 - who were committing to work together to galvanize local and regional action on climate change. Member institutions represent more than 1.5 million students across North America. Having had moved into its third year in 2020 since the launch of the UC3 at the 2018 Higher Education Climate Leadership Summit, the Coalition matured and refined its role as an accelerant of place-based climate solutions and leading voice on the urgency of emissions mitigation and climate resilience actions. It released its 2020-2025 UC3 Strategic Plan. https://secondnature.org/wp-content/uploads/UC3-Strategic-Plan-2020-2025.pdf It represents an updated vision and trajectory for the Coalition, building upon its successes and lessons learned over the past two years from cross-sector forums, internal collaborations, and partnerships with local and regional stakeholders.

UC San Diego's Professor Veerabhadran Ramanathan, a climate scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, has advised state leaders on climate science and policy, including CA's aggressive greenhouse gas and short term climate pollutant reduction goals and CA's involvement in the Paris Climate Accords. https://ramanathan.ucsd.edu/

UC San Diego's Chancellor Pradeep Khosla signed the "We Are Still In" campaign in early 2017 and renewed its commitment in 2020. http://wearestillin.com/ US San Diego collaborates with its sister campuses and the UC Office of the President to advocate for funding for research that addresses the scientific, technological and health challenges facing California and the nation.
Federal support for research is key to UC — and California — continuing as a global research leader. These cuts would be devastating to our nation and would stifle UC’s ability to identify solutions to the greatest scientific and technological challenges of our time. The University works with its faculty, students and alumni to reach out to members of Congress and ask them to support investments in federal research funding. UC San Diego and the entire UC system have been strong voices against the proposed cuts to federal funding for scientific, technological and health research needed to help our nation and globe mitigate and adapt to climate change, protect biodiversity and natural resources, cure individual diseases and public health challenges, and address growing inequality. https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/support-uc/ucan/research/take-action
UC San Diego's "Deep Decarbonization Initiative is combined effort of faculty and staff from the University that are working at the intersection of science, technology and policy to help cut greenhouse gas emissions at the national and international levels, given the very real technology, economic and political constraints that exist: https://deepdecarbon.ucsd.edu/
UC San Diego is an active member of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), a global program that mobilizes scientific and technological expertise to create practical problem-solving for sustainable development through the United Nations (U.N.). As a host university, we convene colleges and institutions around the country and promote the work of the network in a number of ways. https://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/feature/uc-san-diego-plays-key-role-in-united-nations-initiative-to-improve-human-welfare
As a leader in SDSN, the UC San Diego SDG Policy Initiative uses the SDGs as a framework for bringing together policymakers and researchers to inform evidence-based solutions for a sustainable future. The SDGPI showcases the latest scientific contributions around the 17 SDGs at the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy, through its faculty and research centers. In addition, there are a series of programs that put the SDGs into action to address interconnected challenges at global, national and local scales. The SDG Policy Initiative and its partners lay out a new framework for the world to meet carbon neutrality goals, with a focus on leaving no one behind. https://gpsnews.ucsd.edu/hitting-the-ground-running-on-sustainable-policy/

The UC Systems continues to advocate for the US participation in the Paris Climate Accord releasing several statements as recent as Jan 2021. https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/uc-president-drake-lauds-us-return-paris-agreement UC San Diego faculty attended the Paris Climate Accords in 2016 and the Bonn Climate Change Conference in 2017.

UC San Diego's Professor Veerabhadran Ramanathan, a climate scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, is a member of the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Sciences Council and has advised Pope Francis, top Hindu guru Mātā Amṛtānandamayī Devī, and the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan Buddhist who won the Nobel Peace Prize, on climate science and solutions.
http://www.pas.va/content/accademia/en/academicians/ordinary/ramanathan.html

https://vramanathan.scrippsprofiles.ucsd.edu/

In addition, UC is a founding member of the We Are Still In coalition, a group of nearly 4,000 local governments, colleges and universities, health care facilities, faith institutions, companies and individuals who are supportive of the Paris climate agreement. https://www.wearestillin.com/

UC San Diego Professor David Victor David Victor is a professor of international relations and co-director of the Laboratory on International Law and Regulation at the School. His research focuses on highly regulated industries and how regulation affects the operation of major energy markets. Victor is author of "Global Warming Gridlock," which explains why the world has not made much diplomatic progress on the problem of climate change while also exploring new strategies that would be more effective. Dr. Victor has actively participated in the international climate negotiations and meetings.

UC San Diego is an active member of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), a global program that mobilizes scientific and technological expertise to create practical problem-solving for sustainable development through the United Nations (U.N.). As a host university, we convene colleges and institutions around the country and promote the work of the network in a number of ways. https://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/feature/uc-san-diego-plays-key-role-in-united-nations-initiative-to-improve-human-welfare
As a leader in SDSN, the UC San Diego SDG Policy Initiative uses the SDGs as a framework for bringing together policymakers and researchers to inform evidence-based solutions for a sustainable future. The SDGPI showcases the latest scientific contributions around the 17 SDGs at the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy, through its faculty and research centers. In addition, there are a series of programs that put the SDGs into action to address interconnected challenges at global, national and local scales. The SDG Policy Initiative and its partners lay out a new framework for the world to meet carbon neutrality goals, with a focus on leaving no one behind. https://gpsnews.ucsd.edu/hitting-the-ground-running-on-sustainable-policy/

https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/subject/term/politics-public-policy

Other contacts:

Angela Diaz, Executive Director for Government Research Relations, UC San Diego

Stephanie Beechem, Media Relations, University of California Office of the President

Matt St. Clair, Director of Sustainability, University of California Office of the President