1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: The world's second largest economy is increasingly being sealed off 2 00:00:04,440 --> 00:00:07,720 Speaker 1: from the rest of the world. Think back to April 3 00:00:07,960 --> 00:00:13,600 Speaker 1: twenty twenty, when every newscast was filled with warnings like this. 4 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:16,320 Speaker 2: Health officials cautioning we haven't hit the peak. 5 00:00:16,680 --> 00:00:20,520 Speaker 3: The new warnings from survivors now, Brady, thank you from 6 00:00:20,640 --> 00:00:22,600 Speaker 3: the virus. You don't know how. 7 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:22,919 Speaker 1: It's going to be. 8 00:00:23,079 --> 00:00:23,200 Speaker 4: Now. 9 00:00:23,239 --> 00:00:27,800 Speaker 1: Imagine you're the mayor of a medium sized town in California, 10 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:31,560 Speaker 1: poised to hold a city council meeting with rules about 11 00:00:31,600 --> 00:00:35,440 Speaker 1: masking and social distancing so everyone feels safe, and you 12 00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:36,960 Speaker 1: get a letter like this. 13 00:00:38,159 --> 00:00:41,640 Speaker 5: If the city council intends to move forward with another 14 00:00:41,680 --> 00:00:43,800 Speaker 5: reading on a gas van, I can assure you that 15 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:46,479 Speaker 5: there will be no social distancing in place, and I 16 00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:48,720 Speaker 5: strongly urge this city council to kick the can down 17 00:00:48,720 --> 00:00:51,400 Speaker 5: the road and here to public safety measures. Please don't 18 00:00:51,479 --> 00:00:54,680 Speaker 5: force my hand in busting in hundreds and hundreds of 19 00:00:54,720 --> 00:00:58,520 Speaker 5: pissed off people, potentially adding to this pandemic. We will 20 00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:01,440 Speaker 5: pull permits in close streets and will have a massive protest. 21 00:01:01,520 --> 00:01:03,920 Speaker 5: This is not the time to do this. Please tell 22 00:01:03,960 --> 00:01:06,280 Speaker 5: Mayor Harmon and the rest of the council for the 23 00:01:06,319 --> 00:01:09,120 Speaker 5: sake of people's health, that their efforts are better focused 24 00:01:09,120 --> 00:01:11,559 Speaker 5: on how to deal with this pandemic than to stir 25 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:14,919 Speaker 5: up the emotions of people losing their jobs. Be smart 26 00:01:14,920 --> 00:01:15,399 Speaker 5: about this. 27 00:01:17,160 --> 00:01:21,640 Speaker 1: That's former mayor of San Luis Obispo, Heidi Harmon. The 28 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:24,560 Speaker 1: letter in question was from Eric Hoffman, the leader of 29 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:28,240 Speaker 1: one of the unions representing utility workers in California and 30 00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:31,720 Speaker 1: an outspoken critic of attempts throughout the state to move 31 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:36,000 Speaker 1: away from fossil gas. Hoffman did not respond to requests 32 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:41,800 Speaker 1: to speak with us for this series. Harmon says, a 33 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:45,680 Speaker 1: letter threatening a large crowd of people outside the council's 34 00:01:45,760 --> 00:01:50,040 Speaker 1: chambers who refused to mask or social distance at a 35 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:53,760 Speaker 1: time when there was no vaccine for COVID and everyone 36 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:58,040 Speaker 1: was feeling really panicked. All of that really scared her 37 00:01:58,520 --> 00:02:01,600 Speaker 1: and the rest of the city council, and ultimately the 38 00:02:01,640 --> 00:02:06,000 Speaker 1: scare tactic worked. They postponed their vote on a bill 39 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:14,079 Speaker 1: that would have banned gas in new buildings. San Luis 40 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:18,680 Speaker 1: Obispo is a pretty little college town on California's central coast. 41 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:22,720 Speaker 1: It's got a large agricultural community and also one of 42 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:26,880 Speaker 1: the best architecture programs in the country at cal Poly University, 43 00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:32,120 Speaker 1: downtown Spanish mission style buildings, house craft ice cream shops, 44 00:02:32,280 --> 00:02:35,919 Speaker 1: hipster cafes, and farm to table restaurants. In other words, 45 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:38,400 Speaker 1: it's not the sort of place where you might expect 46 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:43,079 Speaker 1: this kind of drama. So what the hell prompted all this? 47 00:02:47,720 --> 00:02:50,280 Speaker 1: That's the story we're going to get into today. Welcome 48 00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:54,040 Speaker 1: back to Drilled. I'm Amy Westervelt. This is part two 49 00:02:54,320 --> 00:02:57,440 Speaker 1: of our three part season on the gas industry. You 50 00:02:57,440 --> 00:03:00,520 Speaker 1: don't have to listen to Part one, Plastic Pipeline to 51 00:03:00,639 --> 00:03:03,800 Speaker 1: understand what's happening in this part of the season, but 52 00:03:03,840 --> 00:03:05,639 Speaker 1: it's worth a listen if you haven't heard it yet. 53 00:03:05,639 --> 00:03:09,480 Speaker 1: We're calling Part two the new Climate Villains, because the 54 00:03:09,520 --> 00:03:12,480 Speaker 1: gas industry has really kicked into high gear with its 55 00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:17,840 Speaker 1: efforts to block climate policy. Today, the story of what 56 00:03:17,919 --> 00:03:30,840 Speaker 1: that opposition looked like in one town stay with us. 57 00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:36,680 Speaker 1: Back in twenty sixteen, Heidi Harmon campaigned to be San 58 00:03:36,760 --> 00:03:40,960 Speaker 1: LUs Obispo mayor on a platform that included carbon neutrality goals, 59 00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:45,040 Speaker 1: fossil free buildings, and electric vehicle charging stations. 60 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:49,240 Speaker 5: So I ran for office as mayor with climate action 61 00:03:49,360 --> 00:03:50,680 Speaker 5: as one of my main priorities. 62 00:03:50,880 --> 00:03:53,360 Speaker 1: Some folks told Heidi she'd never win with such a 63 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:57,680 Speaker 1: radical platform, but she's not really the type to play politics. 64 00:03:57,960 --> 00:04:00,600 Speaker 1: A single mom who worked as a maid and homeschooled 65 00:04:00,640 --> 00:04:04,120 Speaker 1: her kids, Harmon's used to hard work and she's never 66 00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:07,160 Speaker 1: been afraid to stand out from the pack. Her signature 67 00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:09,960 Speaker 1: of silver hair is almost always adorned with a red 68 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:12,800 Speaker 1: or white flower, and her bright blue eyes are usually 69 00:04:12,840 --> 00:04:17,040 Speaker 1: sparkling behind a pair of large, statement, black rimmed glasses. 70 00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:20,640 Speaker 1: She's been who she is, saying exactly what she thinks 71 00:04:20,920 --> 00:04:24,400 Speaker 1: for decades, and that wasn't going to change for a campaign. 72 00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:25,440 Speaker 1: You know. 73 00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:28,640 Speaker 5: I always felt like it's about the next generation, not 74 00:04:28,760 --> 00:04:31,080 Speaker 5: the next election, and if that means that I don't 75 00:04:31,080 --> 00:04:33,240 Speaker 5: get elected, then so be it. 76 00:04:33,680 --> 00:04:36,280 Speaker 1: But she did get elected, and as soon as she 77 00:04:36,320 --> 00:04:39,679 Speaker 1: took office, Harmon started to put forth exactly the sorts 78 00:04:39,720 --> 00:04:42,839 Speaker 1: of policies she'd promised in her campaign. 79 00:04:43,160 --> 00:04:46,240 Speaker 5: When I had just got elected, all these people wanted 80 00:04:46,240 --> 00:04:48,360 Speaker 5: to meet with me. Okay, like, I don't know, I'm sure, 81 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:49,800 Speaker 5: I'm just meeting with everybody on. 82 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:52,640 Speaker 1: That long list of people wanting to meet with Harmon. 83 00:04:52,760 --> 00:04:55,719 Speaker 1: Early On was a public relations guy who worked with 84 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:57,280 Speaker 1: the gas industry. 85 00:04:57,960 --> 00:05:00,960 Speaker 5: So I meet with this guy. I think it was 86 00:05:00,960 --> 00:05:03,720 Speaker 5: from Socau Gas, and he was trying to tell me 87 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:07,840 Speaker 5: about something. He was calling I forget now green maybe 88 00:05:07,880 --> 00:05:10,480 Speaker 5: renewable natural gas. 89 00:05:10,760 --> 00:05:15,839 Speaker 6: Yeah, I mean renewable natural gas. It's a brilliant marketing 90 00:05:16,279 --> 00:05:20,440 Speaker 6: term that the gas industry has created. 91 00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:24,440 Speaker 1: This is Charlie Spatz from the Energy Policy Institute. He's 92 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:27,200 Speaker 1: been digging into the gas guys for years. 93 00:05:27,520 --> 00:05:31,880 Speaker 6: And essentially they were referring to biomethane. So the capture 94 00:05:32,640 --> 00:05:39,599 Speaker 6: of methane from landfills or sewage plans, CAFOs can fined 95 00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:42,560 Speaker 6: agricultural feeding operations. 96 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:45,680 Speaker 1: And sure, why not capture those emissions. But to hear 97 00:05:45,720 --> 00:05:48,600 Speaker 1: the industry talk, you'd think this was the cleanest energy 98 00:05:48,680 --> 00:05:51,280 Speaker 1: going right up there with solar or wind, and that 99 00:05:51,279 --> 00:05:54,960 Speaker 1: there's enough of it to replace fossil gas altogether. Here's 100 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:58,360 Speaker 1: a little explainer video put out by SoCal Gas. The 101 00:05:58,360 --> 00:06:03,479 Speaker 1: gas utility in Harmon's. 102 00:06:02,839 --> 00:06:06,839 Speaker 4: California is dedicated to improving air quality and the environment, 103 00:06:07,120 --> 00:06:10,080 Speaker 4: and sokel Gas is a partner in that vision by 104 00:06:10,120 --> 00:06:14,320 Speaker 4: supporting the development and use of renewable energy. When many 105 00:06:14,360 --> 00:06:18,680 Speaker 4: people think of renewable energy, they think of solar, wind 106 00:06:19,600 --> 00:06:20,560 Speaker 4: and hydropower. 107 00:06:23,279 --> 00:06:23,800 Speaker 5: That's right. 108 00:06:24,360 --> 00:06:28,799 Speaker 4: Renewable natural gas or RNG is also a clean source 109 00:06:28,839 --> 00:06:34,400 Speaker 4: of energy. RNG is reliable, it's always available, unlike solar 110 00:06:34,440 --> 00:06:37,479 Speaker 4: and wind, which are intermittent and dependent upon the weather 111 00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:42,520 Speaker 4: and time of day with limited storage capability. 112 00:06:42,839 --> 00:06:45,280 Speaker 1: Who there's a lot going on here, and I'm not 113 00:06:45,400 --> 00:06:51,080 Speaker 1: just talking about the girlish giggles and cowmws. So first off, 114 00:06:51,240 --> 00:06:54,839 Speaker 1: RNG is not an apples to apples comparison to solar. 115 00:06:55,200 --> 00:06:58,800 Speaker 1: The industry presents it as not just a zero emissions option, 116 00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:02,880 Speaker 1: but actually a negative emissions option because, according to them, 117 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:06,160 Speaker 1: you capture the methane, turn it into gas, and voila, 118 00:07:06,480 --> 00:07:09,800 Speaker 1: you've avoided all those methane emissions, except they've left out 119 00:07:09,840 --> 00:07:12,760 Speaker 1: the part where you transport and then burn that fuel, 120 00:07:12,840 --> 00:07:16,920 Speaker 1: emitting various greenhouse gases along the way. But anyway, look 121 00:07:16,960 --> 00:07:20,600 Speaker 1: over here at how reliable ORANG is. In fact, the 122 00:07:20,640 --> 00:07:24,240 Speaker 1: intermittency and storage issues associated with renewables like solar and 123 00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:27,640 Speaker 1: wind have largely been addressed in recent years, so this 124 00:07:27,720 --> 00:07:30,440 Speaker 1: ad is misleading on that front too. This is the 125 00:07:30,480 --> 00:07:35,600 Speaker 1: sort of solution that the most recent IPCC report called maladaptation. 126 00:07:36,160 --> 00:07:39,960 Speaker 1: It's something that's supposed to reduce emissions but actually locks 127 00:07:39,960 --> 00:07:43,160 Speaker 1: in fossil fuel use or causes some other type of 128 00:07:43,240 --> 00:07:46,680 Speaker 1: environmental problem, in this case the many water, soil, and 129 00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:51,400 Speaker 1: air quality issues associated with industrial agriculture. Not that solar 130 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:54,480 Speaker 1: and wind are perfect, mind you, They're just not as 131 00:07:54,720 --> 00:07:57,640 Speaker 1: unreliable and terrible as so Cal Gas would like you 132 00:07:57,760 --> 00:08:02,440 Speaker 1: to believe. Gas companies are into renewable natural gas because 133 00:08:02,480 --> 00:08:05,760 Speaker 1: it allows them to tell a good green story while 134 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:10,960 Speaker 1: locking in gas infrastructure. But by even the most optimistic estimate, 135 00:08:11,120 --> 00:08:16,000 Speaker 1: RNG could only cover about sixteen percent of current gas use. 136 00:08:16,800 --> 00:08:20,640 Speaker 1: The rest would be supplied by the usual fossil gas 137 00:08:21,800 --> 00:08:25,080 Speaker 1: at any rate. Back in twenty sixteen, when Harmon first 138 00:08:25,080 --> 00:08:28,440 Speaker 1: took office as mayor of San Luis Obispo, Soco Gas 139 00:08:28,600 --> 00:08:31,240 Speaker 1: was pretty high on its own RNG supply. 140 00:08:31,880 --> 00:08:37,800 Speaker 5: And me, not knowing any better, was I was confused 141 00:08:37,800 --> 00:08:41,360 Speaker 5: for multiple reasons because this immediately sounded like bloony. 142 00:08:42,040 --> 00:08:45,640 Speaker 1: Harmon didn't bother to sugarcoat her response to the gas 143 00:08:45,640 --> 00:08:47,000 Speaker 1: industry guy, because I just. 144 00:08:46,960 --> 00:08:49,560 Speaker 5: Turned to him and said, oh, I think, actually we're 145 00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:52,840 Speaker 5: going to be moving away from natural gas altogether and 146 00:08:52,880 --> 00:08:56,559 Speaker 5: not using it at all. And I had no idea because, 147 00:08:56,880 --> 00:08:59,600 Speaker 5: like in my world. That seems obvious, you know what 148 00:08:59,600 --> 00:09:04,559 Speaker 5: I mean, of course we're not doing natural gasm. Oh, oh, 149 00:09:04,559 --> 00:09:06,120 Speaker 5: we don't need the renewable because we're not going to 150 00:09:06,120 --> 00:09:11,880 Speaker 5: be doing any type of it whatsoever. And his face 151 00:09:12,600 --> 00:09:17,880 Speaker 5: went from like public relations face to don't I can't. 152 00:09:17,920 --> 00:09:20,440 Speaker 5: Like the muscles in his face, you could see he 153 00:09:20,480 --> 00:09:23,440 Speaker 5: was trying to hold it together, but also had not 154 00:09:24,080 --> 00:09:27,360 Speaker 5: understood that this time had actually already come. I don't 155 00:09:27,360 --> 00:09:29,719 Speaker 5: think you know they. I think they must have been thinking, oh, 156 00:09:29,720 --> 00:09:32,280 Speaker 5: we're going to trick him with this renewable whatever the heck, 157 00:09:32,679 --> 00:09:35,560 Speaker 5: and that I'll stop these changes from happening. 158 00:09:37,080 --> 00:09:39,640 Speaker 1: The gas industry really didn't seem to be expecting this 159 00:09:39,800 --> 00:09:42,880 Speaker 1: at that time. For decades, their product had been thought 160 00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:46,680 Speaker 1: of as a climate solution, delivering major reductions in CO 161 00:09:46,880 --> 00:09:49,760 Speaker 1: two emissions. And that's true. But the problem is CO 162 00:09:49,960 --> 00:09:54,080 Speaker 1: two isn't the only greenhouse gas. As scientists discovered more 163 00:09:54,120 --> 00:09:58,079 Speaker 1: about the methane emissions associated with gas and the chemicals 164 00:09:58,080 --> 00:10:02,800 Speaker 1: associated with fracking, the tide began to turn. Now big 165 00:10:02,880 --> 00:10:06,280 Speaker 1: changes were looming, and Harmon started making good on her 166 00:10:06,280 --> 00:10:10,520 Speaker 1: climate action campaign promises in her first years in office. 167 00:10:11,240 --> 00:10:14,560 Speaker 5: And so we had made the most ambitious carbon neutrality 168 00:10:14,600 --> 00:10:16,640 Speaker 5: goal of any city at the United States at that time, 169 00:10:16,679 --> 00:10:19,800 Speaker 5: which was twenty thirty five, and we've happily been surpassed 170 00:10:19,880 --> 00:10:23,280 Speaker 5: since that time. We'd committed to community choice energy and 171 00:10:23,320 --> 00:10:25,960 Speaker 5: we've done a lot of things, and so we're really 172 00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:28,360 Speaker 5: looking at the landscape of what needed to happen next, 173 00:10:28,880 --> 00:10:33,720 Speaker 5: and decarbonization and electrification is really becoming really well understood 174 00:10:33,760 --> 00:10:35,520 Speaker 5: is one of the main ways to get us to 175 00:10:36,960 --> 00:10:38,040 Speaker 5: less fossil fuels. 176 00:10:38,320 --> 00:10:41,600 Speaker 1: Then, in twenty nineteen, the city of Berkeley, California, became 177 00:10:41,679 --> 00:10:45,360 Speaker 1: the first US city to pass what's called a gas van. 178 00:10:46,720 --> 00:10:49,800 Speaker 1: Sounds scary, but what it actually means is a policy 179 00:10:49,920 --> 00:10:54,560 Speaker 1: that bigs energy transition into the building sector. It basically says, 180 00:10:54,760 --> 00:10:58,600 Speaker 1: we're not going to connect any new buildings to gas lines, 181 00:10:58,960 --> 00:11:02,160 Speaker 1: because once you wire a building for gas, your fuel 182 00:11:02,200 --> 00:11:08,400 Speaker 1: options are pretty limited to well gas, maybe hydrogen. But 183 00:11:08,440 --> 00:11:10,600 Speaker 1: if you wire a building for electric, you've got a 184 00:11:10,640 --> 00:11:15,239 Speaker 1: pretty broad portfolio of choices, including renewable sources of electricity. 185 00:11:15,720 --> 00:11:18,720 Speaker 1: So Harmon learned about this gas ban in Berkeley and 186 00:11:18,800 --> 00:11:21,559 Speaker 1: wanted to do the same in San Luis Obispo, which, 187 00:11:21,640 --> 00:11:25,959 Speaker 1: of course was also the local gas industry's nightmare coming true. 188 00:11:28,040 --> 00:11:30,240 Speaker 1: The band started to make its way toward approval and 189 00:11:30,280 --> 00:11:34,240 Speaker 1: then boom, COVID hits. In April twenty twenty, the city 190 00:11:34,240 --> 00:11:36,680 Speaker 1: council was set to vote on it when Harmon got 191 00:11:36,720 --> 00:11:40,480 Speaker 1: that letter threatening a protest slash COVID superspreader event. 192 00:11:41,240 --> 00:11:44,679 Speaker 5: You can imagine the overwhelm of dealing with the pandemic 193 00:11:45,840 --> 00:11:48,559 Speaker 5: with and not being sure what was going to happen next, 194 00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:50,480 Speaker 5: and then having this threatening letter. 195 00:11:50,679 --> 00:11:53,959 Speaker 1: Harmon decided to press pause to avoid the public health 196 00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:57,080 Speaker 1: consequences of a protest. The gas band came up for 197 00:11:57,160 --> 00:12:02,120 Speaker 1: consideration again and the opposition was still fierce. It included 198 00:12:02,160 --> 00:12:05,160 Speaker 1: front groups from the gas industry who put out attack 199 00:12:05,240 --> 00:12:08,600 Speaker 1: ads like this one from a group called the Consumer 200 00:12:08,840 --> 00:12:11,800 Speaker 1: Energy Alliance, which claims to be a citizen group but 201 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:17,360 Speaker 1: is run out of HBW Resources and industry lobbying firm. 202 00:12:17,840 --> 00:12:20,920 Speaker 2: Have you heard about the blow the Berkeley, California City 203 00:12:20,960 --> 00:12:25,080 Speaker 2: Council has landed on consumer choice? The city has banned 204 00:12:25,160 --> 00:12:29,520 Speaker 2: natural gas in all new low rise residential buildings. That 205 00:12:29,679 --> 00:12:32,680 Speaker 2: means the new Ritchie rich of Berkeley will have to 206 00:12:32,840 --> 00:12:36,640 Speaker 2: use an electric stovetop to cook their meals. No natural gas, 207 00:12:36,679 --> 00:12:40,720 Speaker 2: water heaters, furnaces, clothes dryers, or barbecue grills. 208 00:12:40,840 --> 00:12:46,240 Speaker 1: Either that barbecue grills one is a stretch. Most gas 209 00:12:46,280 --> 00:12:49,840 Speaker 1: grills have their own refillable gas tank. You have to 210 00:12:49,840 --> 00:12:54,080 Speaker 1: be pretty serious about your barbecue grill to pipe gas 211 00:12:54,120 --> 00:12:57,080 Speaker 1: to it. Not saying it doesn't happen, but it's not 212 00:12:57,240 --> 00:13:01,960 Speaker 1: exactly a common scenario. As you heard at the beginning 213 00:13:02,080 --> 00:13:05,320 Speaker 1: of this story, the Utility Workers Union of America, which 214 00:13:05,440 --> 00:13:09,640 Speaker 1: represents local utility workers in California, is a major player 215 00:13:09,800 --> 00:13:13,960 Speaker 1: opposing the gas ban. Since Harmon considers herself pro labor, 216 00:13:14,120 --> 00:13:16,040 Speaker 1: she says, it was a weird feeling for her to 217 00:13:16,080 --> 00:13:19,040 Speaker 1: be at odds with the union and getting threatening letters 218 00:13:19,040 --> 00:13:20,160 Speaker 1: from a union boss. 219 00:13:20,520 --> 00:13:23,120 Speaker 5: So there was a lot of money spent on social 220 00:13:23,200 --> 00:13:27,560 Speaker 5: media and also robocalls, you know, pushing the classic line 221 00:13:27,760 --> 00:13:31,360 Speaker 5: that the fossil fuel industry always uses around jobs, you know, 222 00:13:31,400 --> 00:13:34,160 Speaker 5: which is one that I'm very sensitive to. You know, 223 00:13:34,280 --> 00:13:37,800 Speaker 5: I brought the first Project Labor Agreement, which is a 224 00:13:37,920 --> 00:13:41,240 Speaker 5: union support policy in this county's history, to our city. 225 00:13:41,720 --> 00:13:44,559 Speaker 5: I'm a huge labor supporter. So it's a really interesting 226 00:13:45,200 --> 00:13:47,360 Speaker 5: tension to be in, and when you're in a leadership position, 227 00:13:47,440 --> 00:13:50,120 Speaker 5: wanting to support workers and also wanting to move to 228 00:13:50,160 --> 00:13:54,480 Speaker 5: a fossil fuel free world, so people are sensitive to 229 00:13:54,559 --> 00:13:55,680 Speaker 5: that claim around jobs. 230 00:13:56,280 --> 00:13:59,680 Speaker 1: The campaign to oppose the gas band relied on another 231 00:14:00,120 --> 00:14:01,040 Speaker 1: your talking. 232 00:14:00,720 --> 00:14:04,880 Speaker 5: Point, choice being taken away, and you know Americans are 233 00:14:04,960 --> 00:14:07,000 Speaker 5: very sensitive to that. So really trying to tell a 234 00:14:07,040 --> 00:14:10,720 Speaker 5: story about you know, government coming in to take away 235 00:14:11,160 --> 00:14:12,440 Speaker 5: your choice about things. 236 00:14:12,760 --> 00:14:17,600 Speaker 1: Part of the opposition's strategy involved harassing Harmon directly too. 237 00:14:18,120 --> 00:14:21,400 Speaker 1: She got a lot of nasty voicemails like this. 238 00:14:21,280 --> 00:14:28,080 Speaker 3: One, Miss Hidi Herman, I highly encourage you to discourage 239 00:14:28,320 --> 00:14:32,560 Speaker 3: this ban on natural gas because it is a scourge 240 00:14:32,720 --> 00:14:38,320 Speaker 3: on the whole community. You are raping the people that 241 00:14:38,520 --> 00:14:42,880 Speaker 3: have the least amount of money. You are taking things 242 00:14:42,920 --> 00:14:43,840 Speaker 3: away from people. 243 00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:44,720 Speaker 5: No matter what. 244 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:50,720 Speaker 3: This is not a good thing. Reconsider your youthful on 245 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:54,240 Speaker 3: utual goods. Thank you. 246 00:14:55,840 --> 00:14:58,920 Speaker 1: Some of the attacks against her got personal, too, taking 247 00:14:58,920 --> 00:15:02,040 Speaker 1: on her physical apearance down to her silver hair and 248 00:15:02,160 --> 00:15:03,400 Speaker 1: trademark flower pen. 249 00:15:03,880 --> 00:15:06,200 Speaker 5: At a city council meeting, after it was clear that 250 00:15:06,280 --> 00:15:09,000 Speaker 5: things were not going to go in their direction, the 251 00:15:09,040 --> 00:15:12,120 Speaker 5: president of the union himself said, I'm not resting to 252 00:15:12,240 --> 00:15:15,080 Speaker 5: that fucking red flower. Corilla de Ville kunt and all 253 00:15:15,080 --> 00:15:17,920 Speaker 5: those other fucking bitches are voted off that fucking council. 254 00:15:22,200 --> 00:15:24,680 Speaker 1: Hoffman said this to a room full of utility and 255 00:15:24,800 --> 00:15:28,320 Speaker 1: union supporters following the council's vote to move forward with 256 00:15:28,400 --> 00:15:31,960 Speaker 1: its decarbonization policy. That was a few months before he 257 00:15:32,080 --> 00:15:36,200 Speaker 1: sent the letter threatening an intentionally unsafe protest if they 258 00:15:36,240 --> 00:15:37,800 Speaker 1: moved forward with a gas ban. 259 00:15:38,200 --> 00:15:40,000 Speaker 5: I just think of what's going on in a wider 260 00:15:40,000 --> 00:15:45,640 Speaker 5: context with the fossil fuel industry, is really this toxic 261 00:15:45,720 --> 00:15:49,600 Speaker 5: masculinity just percolating throughout it and what is called maybe 262 00:15:49,640 --> 00:15:52,680 Speaker 5: petro masculinity. Right as soon as I heard that word, 263 00:15:52,720 --> 00:15:55,880 Speaker 5: I just thought, this is exactly on some level a 264 00:15:56,040 --> 00:16:00,920 Speaker 5: deep thread of what's going on in general. The bullying 265 00:16:01,040 --> 00:16:07,160 Speaker 5: so was largely men in the union, really threatening the 266 00:16:07,280 --> 00:16:11,480 Speaker 5: largely predominantly female city council in a way that quite frankly, 267 00:16:11,520 --> 00:16:15,320 Speaker 5: you know, had there's a violence to the culture that 268 00:16:15,360 --> 00:16:17,920 Speaker 5: they brought, and you can see it here in their letter, 269 00:16:18,600 --> 00:16:20,880 Speaker 5: you know. And then so they could see though that 270 00:16:20,960 --> 00:16:23,120 Speaker 5: I was committed to this, you know, and on some 271 00:16:23,320 --> 00:16:25,920 Speaker 5: level I think that's one of the gifts of being 272 00:16:25,960 --> 00:16:29,800 Speaker 5: in this potential penultimate moment of human existence, you know, 273 00:16:29,880 --> 00:16:33,280 Speaker 5: I've got kids, So you're going to bust load in 274 00:16:33,400 --> 00:16:37,760 Speaker 5: hundreds of scary guys with potentially a disease and violence 275 00:16:37,800 --> 00:16:42,640 Speaker 5: in mind, Okay, because my kids' lives are already at stake, 276 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:45,720 Speaker 5: so bring it on. I mean, I don't want them 277 00:16:45,760 --> 00:16:47,800 Speaker 5: to do that, obviously, but I'm not going to let 278 00:16:47,840 --> 00:16:52,160 Speaker 5: that intimidate me into not doing what's right to save 279 00:16:52,200 --> 00:16:54,080 Speaker 5: my kids' lives. On some level, which is how it 280 00:16:54,120 --> 00:16:55,920 Speaker 5: feels to me, and on some level is how it is. 281 00:17:01,640 --> 00:17:04,840 Speaker 1: Despite all this, the insults and the attack ads. On 282 00:17:04,960 --> 00:17:08,600 Speaker 1: July tenth, twenty twenty, Harman and the San Lusibispo City 283 00:17:08,640 --> 00:17:12,440 Speaker 1: Council did pass a modified version of the gas ban. 284 00:17:12,840 --> 00:17:16,000 Speaker 1: Rather than banning gas in new buildings altogether, it made 285 00:17:16,040 --> 00:17:20,880 Speaker 1: it more expensive and incentivized electrification. In twenty twenty two, 286 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:24,680 Speaker 1: the city council reintroduced the idea of an all out ban. 287 00:17:25,560 --> 00:17:30,000 Speaker 1: So far, they haven't voted on that proposal yet. Looking 288 00:17:30,080 --> 00:17:32,800 Speaker 1: back on all she endured along the way. 289 00:17:33,280 --> 00:17:35,400 Speaker 5: I just want to state for the record a couple things. One, 290 00:17:35,600 --> 00:17:39,360 Speaker 5: I was voted in the next election by landslide, and 291 00:17:39,760 --> 00:17:43,600 Speaker 5: quite frankly, there's really nothing more complimentary than to be 292 00:17:43,640 --> 00:17:46,520 Speaker 5: called a cunt because there's something stronger and more life affirming, 293 00:17:46,560 --> 00:17:49,800 Speaker 5: and everybody you know is about it, So thank you. 294 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:51,440 Speaker 5: I guess i'd have to say. 295 00:17:53,960 --> 00:17:56,480 Speaker 1: San Luis Obispo is the first city in so Cal 296 00:17:56,600 --> 00:18:00,680 Speaker 1: Gas Is Territory to pass a ban, but it wasn't 297 00:18:00,720 --> 00:18:03,639 Speaker 1: the last. Pretty soon the utility was playing whack a 298 00:18:03,680 --> 00:18:06,639 Speaker 1: mole with gas bands all over Southern California. By the 299 00:18:06,760 --> 00:18:09,200 Speaker 1: end of twenty twenty, there were more than fifty gas 300 00:18:09,320 --> 00:18:14,120 Speaker 1: bands in California alone. Now they're in Washington, New York, Massachusetts, 301 00:18:14,119 --> 00:18:18,159 Speaker 1: even Texas. According to Charlie's spats with the Energy Policy Institute, 302 00:18:18,240 --> 00:18:22,480 Speaker 1: the rapid growth and mobilization of the Electrify Everything movement, 303 00:18:22,840 --> 00:18:25,920 Speaker 1: this push over the past few years to electrify buildings 304 00:18:25,920 --> 00:18:29,840 Speaker 1: and transportation as part of a transition away from fossil fuels, 305 00:18:30,200 --> 00:18:35,320 Speaker 1: really caught the gas industry off guard at first, especially Sokel. 306 00:18:34,920 --> 00:18:38,119 Speaker 6: Gas in Southern California Gas Company or so Cal Gas, 307 00:18:38,160 --> 00:18:41,919 Speaker 6: which is often trying to market itself as a green 308 00:18:42,280 --> 00:18:45,960 Speaker 6: and climate champion, and all of a sudden that they 309 00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:49,960 Speaker 6: are now the new coal and that is something they're 310 00:18:49,960 --> 00:18:56,479 Speaker 6: still getting used to. And I think that's a shared 311 00:18:56,520 --> 00:18:59,720 Speaker 6: experience throughout the gas utility industry that all of sudden, 312 00:19:00,640 --> 00:19:04,960 Speaker 6: they are public enemy number one. They're now big coal. 313 00:19:05,520 --> 00:19:11,040 Speaker 6: They are passing preemption legislation throughout the United States. They 314 00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:14,360 Speaker 6: are a climate villain. And this is a new experience 315 00:19:14,359 --> 00:19:15,680 Speaker 6: for many of those lobbyists. 316 00:19:15,720 --> 00:19:19,600 Speaker 1: But it didn't take them long to adapt. As of 317 00:19:19,760 --> 00:19:25,600 Speaker 1: early twenty twenty two, nineteen states have passed preemptive laws 318 00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:33,919 Speaker 1: banning gas vans, Yeah, bans on bans. That aggressive strategy, 319 00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:39,280 Speaker 1: harm and experienced firsthand, has only intensified. Next time, I'll 320 00:19:39,280 --> 00:19:41,880 Speaker 1: look at how the industry has adapted to its new 321 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:43,520 Speaker 1: role as a climate villain. 322 00:19:44,880 --> 00:19:47,919 Speaker 7: We're trying to beat counties and localities from passing bands 323 00:19:47,960 --> 00:19:51,280 Speaker 7: that then force the hand of governors and state legislators 324 00:19:51,600 --> 00:19:54,080 Speaker 7: to pass something nationwide. 325 00:19:54,480 --> 00:19:55,480 Speaker 2: So we've got two. 326 00:19:55,280 --> 00:19:57,439 Speaker 7: Wins on that so far, which is great news. The 327 00:19:57,520 --> 00:20:03,639 Speaker 7: legislation has been introduced in several other our states, including Georgia, Missouri, Oklahoma, 328 00:20:03,640 --> 00:20:04,280 Speaker 7: and Kansas. 329 00:20:05,600 --> 00:20:15,920 Speaker 1: Come back for that. Drilled is an original Critical Frequency production. 330 00:20:16,440 --> 00:20:19,840 Speaker 1: Our producer is Jules Bradley. Our editor for this season 331 00:20:19,960 --> 00:20:24,880 Speaker 1: is Jude Joffy. Block. Sound design, mixing, mastering, and original 332 00:20:24,960 --> 00:20:28,080 Speaker 1: music throughout this episode, including our new theme song by 333 00:20:28,119 --> 00:20:31,400 Speaker 1: Peter Duff. Our fact checker is wood an Yan. Our 334 00:20:31,440 --> 00:20:35,760 Speaker 1: First Amendment attorney is James Whitton of the First Amendment Project. 335 00:20:36,560 --> 00:20:39,480 Speaker 1: Our artwork is drawn by Matt Fleming, and of course 336 00:20:39,520 --> 00:20:42,840 Speaker 1: the show is reported and created by me Amy Westervelt. 337 00:20:43,359 --> 00:20:46,080 Speaker 1: You can follow us on Twitter at we are Drilled 338 00:20:46,720 --> 00:20:50,840 Speaker 1: or me at Amy Westervelt. Big thanks to our new 339 00:20:51,080 --> 00:20:55,560 Speaker 1: Patreon supporters. We're now at three hundred supporters. That's so awesome. 340 00:20:55,800 --> 00:21:01,040 Speaker 1: Thanks you guys, particular thanks to Quinn Emmett, David Urbander, 341 00:21:01,680 --> 00:21:09,400 Speaker 1: Frank Berg, Jesse Worker, JJ Starr, Michael Constantino, Stephen Kretzman, 342 00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:16,440 Speaker 1: Mimi one oh one, Claire Kelly, Jesse, Greg Nison, Paul Whitefeld, 343 00:21:16,760 --> 00:21:23,520 Speaker 1: Abigail Rome, and Julie Getmanis. Thanks very much. We appreciate 344 00:21:23,600 --> 00:21:26,560 Speaker 1: the support. If you would like to support more reporting 345 00:21:26,680 --> 00:21:30,119 Speaker 1: on climate accountability, you can do that at patreon dot 346 00:21:30,160 --> 00:21:33,600 Speaker 1: com slash drilled, or you can sign up to have 347 00:21:33,760 --> 00:21:37,960 Speaker 1: bonus episodes and content delivered street to your inbox via 348 00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:42,040 Speaker 1: Drilled podcast dot com. Thanks for listening and we'll see 349 00:21:42,040 --> 00:21:42,719 Speaker 1: you next week.