SUNSET RESERVOIR SOLAR PROJECT MOVES CLOSER TO START DATE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Joshua Arce, Brightline 415-860-2150

San Francisco Solar Installation Will Be Among Nation's Largest Of Its Kind And Create Green Jobs For Low-Income Residents

February 9, 2010, San Francisco, CA—After a series of delays, San Francisco's Sunset Reservoir solar installation is reported to be close to breaking ground. The 5-megawatt installation was supported by a diverse group of policymakers including Mayor Gavin Newsom, Supervisors Carmen Chu, Eric Mar, David Chiu, and Bevan Dufty as well as the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, and the project will power San Francisco city buildings and Muni lines with clean energy from 25,000 solar panels placed atop a municipal reservoir in the Sunset district.
However, the project never would have gained the support of Supervisors Mar and Chiu had the City not secured a binding commitment from solar developer Recurrent Energy and its contractor BASS Electric that no less than 30% of the jobs to be created during the 6-month installation would be performed by qualified low-income residents of San Francisco's most economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. In April of last year, Recurrent and BASS signed a First Source Hiring Agreement with CityBuild, the San Francisco agency in charge of ensuring that San Francisco residents go to work on city-funded projects. Since then, community-based organizations such as Young Community Developers, Anders & Anders, Arc Ecology, and others have spent months preparing candidates from underserved neighborhoods such as Bayview-Hunters Point and Visitacion Valley to enter the green workforce through this historic project.

"The 30% community hiring commitment won our support and helped us overcome our concerns around cost and financing that some of our allies shared," said Brightline Executive Director Joshua Arce. "The idea of 'green jobs' is more than people putting up a bunch of solar panels, it's about creating pathways out of poverty." The Sunset Reservoir solar project was supported by the Sierra Club, Green for All, the Greenlining Institute, the Southeast Jobs Coalition, the Ella Baker Center, San Francisco Community Power, Asian Neighborhood Design, and many other groups working to both preserve the environment and create community opportunity.

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Brightline Defense Project is a non-profit civil rights advocacy organization dedicated to protecting and empowering communities. Brightline’s efforts have led to the prevention of a new power plant in Southeast San Francisco and increased employment opportunities for economically disadvantaged residents, particularly in the green jobs sector.

www.brightlinedefense.org

1028A Howard Street | San Francisco, CA 94103 US