Marin Advocates Push Building Electrification on Multiple Fronts
From new housing projects to household workshops, local groups are pressing the case for all-electric buildings
Electrification advocates gathered this month with a shared sense of momentum. Across a hybrid April meeting of the Climate Action Working Group, speakers described efforts to reshape how Marin County heats its homes, powers its buildings, and prepares its communities for a fossil-fuel-free future.
Kathren Murrell Stevenson, Executive Director of Resilient Neighborhoods, presented an updated version of her organization’s program, which centers on personal and community action to cut household greenhouse gas emissions while building disaster resilience. The program’s online Climate Action Workshops walk participants through practical steps: shifting transportation habits, conserving water and energy, electrifying their homes, reducing waste, and preparing for emergencies. Crucially, the program does not stop at inspiration. It provides follow-up support and tools for participants to track their own progress.
David Moller of the Marin Electrification Council described a direct outreach campaign to developers proposing new housing under Marin’s state-mandated RHNA requirements, encouraging all-electric construction rather than dual-fuel projects, which can carry higher costs. He also highlighted the Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s upcoming May 6 board meeting, where members are expected to consider potential exceptions for low-income or challenging construction circumstances within a rule that would phase in zero-emission water heaters beginning in 2027.
The rule is intended to reduce one of the region’s largest sources of nitrogen oxide pollution while also lowering greenhouse gas emissions over time. As described in the meeting, it would apply when existing water heaters reach the end of their life, meaning most households would not face a decision for several years.
Robert Miller updated the group on MCL’s ongoing advocacy with MCE Clean Energy, focused on greater transparency in the utility’s energy purchasing and on ensuring that those purchases bring genuinely new renewable energy onto the regional grid.
The meeting also included a preview of the April 26 Earth Day event in Mill Valley, a report from Sustainable San Rafael on its sea level rise work, and a summary by Al Grumet of pending state legislation aimed at reducing electric rates and accelerating building electrification across California.