DWR Honored for Climate Leadership: Department Is Recognized for Meeting, Exceeding GHG Emission Goal

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Solar panels at Pear Blossom pumping facility

Solar panels produce energy at the DWR Pearblossom Pumping Plant.

For the third time in four years, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) has won a Climate Leadership Award for efforts to combat climate change. The award was presented today by the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) and The Climate Registry (TCR), in partnership with Headline Sponsor, Bloomberg Philanthropies. The Awards, which take place during the annual Climate Leadership Conference in Denver, CO, showcase and recognize voluntary action to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) and address climate change.

“DWR is committed to lowering our greenhouse gas emissions because, from a global perspective, it’s the right thing to do. Our efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change are crucial to securing the long-term reliability of California’s precious water resources,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “We are honored to have received this Climate Leadership Award and are committed to continuing our efforts.”

DWR’s goal was to achieve a 50-percent reduction below 1990 GHG emission levels by 2020, but the Department actually met this goal by 2015, five years earlier than anticipated. DWR reduces GHG emissions primarily by replacing carbon-intensive electrical generation throughout its operations, including the State Water Project (SWP), with lower- and non-emitting generation such as natural gas, solar, wind, and hydro power.

 

For details, see the Climate Leadership Conference’s press release.

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Contacts:

Doug Carlson, Information Officer – (916) 653- 5114

Doug.Carlson@water.ca.gov

Maggie Macias, Information Officer – (916) 653-8743

Maggie.Macias@water.ca.gov