CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE TO HOST NATIONAL AND SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY ENERGY WORKING GROUPS

SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Food and Agriculture will host two energy work group meetings on June 7, 2007 at the California Department of Food and Agriculture, 1220 N Street, Sacramento, CA.  A 25x’25 California stakeholder meeting will begin at 1:00 in the CDFA auditorium, room 130.  Following the 25x’25 stakeholder meeting, a California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley Energy Working Group meeting will begin at 3:15 p.m. in the same auditorium.

“We are following Governor Schwarzenegger’s vision to diversify California’s energy supply,” said CDFA Secretary A.G. Kawamura. “And we are pleased to host both of these energy working groups and together explore viable options for California agriculture to meet future energy needs.” 

Secretary Kawamura, representing the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA), is a member of the 25x25 Steering Committee. He, along with California Resources Agency Secretary Mike Chrisman, is a co-convener of the California Partnership for the San Joaquin
Valley Energy Working Group.

25x’25 is a national energy coalition dedicated to having 25 percent of total energy consumed in the United States provided by renewable resources, coming from America’s farms, forests and ranches, by 2025.  More than 330 national and regional agricultural, forestry, conservation, business, labor and religious groups, 22 governors and four state legislatures endorse the initiative. For this meeting, they have invited key industry leaders and stakeholders to lay the groundwork for possible creation of a state 25x’25 alliance of leaders from the agricultural, business and environmental communities to explore how the 25x’25 vision can help accomplish state energy, environmental and rural development goals.

The California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley Partnership Energy Working Group was formed under the leadership of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to promote energy use efficiencies and adoption of clean, renewable energy technologies to ensure a reliable supply, grow the economy, and improve air quality in the San Joaquin Valley. Their meeting will attract business leaders, councils of government and valley stakeholders to look at energy solutions for the valley.

Information on the 25x’25 initiative can be found at www.25x25.org. Information about the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley Partnership Energy Working Group can be found at http://www.sjvpartnership.org/.

These meetings are open to the media and general public.