FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 23, 2023
Press Contact:
Jackie Nuñez, Bilingual Communications Manager
(925) 695-2124 | communications@mceCleanEnergy.org
SAN RAFAEL and CONCORD, Calif. — On October 19, 2023, local electricity provider, MCE, honored Assemblymember Damon Connolly, District 12, with its 2023 Climate Action Leadership Award recognizing his unwavering commitment to confronting climate change and the community choice movement. As an MCE founding Board member and Board Chair from 2011 to 2014, Assemblymember Connolly played a pivotal role in establishing MCE as California’s first community energy provider and championed the development of community choice across the state.
“Combating climate change is not a task for the few, but a collective responsibility for everyone,” said Assemblymember Damon Connolly. “The health of our planet depends on our united actions, and every effort brings us closer to a sustainable future for us all.”
Since his election to District 12 in 2022, Assemblymember Connolly’s focus has included roles on key environmental and energy committees including the Committee on Utilities and Energy, which oversees the California Energy Commission and California Public Utilities Commission.
Representing the North Bay for nearly two decades, Assemblymember Connolly has been instrumental in shaping local and statewide environmental policy. As a San Rafael City Councilmember and Marin County Supervisor, he set the region on a path toward 100% renewable energy and expanded access to public transit and infrastructure for bicyclists and pedestrians while protecting open space.
Before opening his own law practice in San Rafael, Assemblymember Connolly was a Supervising Deputy California Attorney General, prosecuting the energy companies during the energy crisis in the early 2000s.
"Without Assemblymember Connolly's vision and leadership, MCE would not be where it is today," said Dawn Weisz, MCE’s CEO. "At this critical time where we must act quickly and boldly to confront climate change, the clean energy movement needs even more leaders like him to light the way forward."
In 2020, MCE created the Climate Action Leadership award to celebrate policymakers and advocates who have made bold contributions toward California’s fight against climate change through energy policy. The award is open to regulators, legislators, other policymakers, and stakeholders who have partnered with MCE to advance policies that benefit MCE’s communities and our planet. The 2022 Climate Action Leadership Award honorees were Senators Alex Padilla and Dianne Feinstein, and Representatives Jared Huffman and John Garamendi.
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About MCE: MCE is a not-for-profit public agency and the preferred electricity provider for more than 585,000 customer accounts and 1.5 million residents and businesses across Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, and Solano counties. Setting the standard for clean energy in California since 2010, MCE leads with 60-100% renewable power at stable rates, delivering a 1,200 MW peak load and significantly reducing greenhouse emissions and reinvesting millions in local programs. For more information about MCE, visit mceCleanEnergy.org, or follow us on your preferred social platform @mceCleanEnergy.
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