Environmental Champion.
The East Bay Express calls Andy Katz the best elected official in the Bay Area with an environmental conscience, saying he “may know more about climate change regulations…than any other elected official in Northern California.”
Andy’s work at EBMUD led to the development of the first food-waste-to-energy converter in America, which uses cutting edge technology to transform thrown-away food scraps into clean, renewable energy. At EBMUD, Katz has also helped double water conservation and recycling projects, protect our water quality, and expand solar energy projects.
Andy is the former Chair of Sierra Club California. In that leadership role, Andy led the organization’s efforts to initiate its clean energy campaign, and to pass environmental legislation through the State Legislature. And he served as a Delegate to the United Nations Climate Conferences since 2009 where he represented Sierra Club and urged the United States and other countries to adopt strong greenhouse gas reduction goals to protect our climate, culminating with the landmark Paris Agreement and its implementation.
Andy was part of a coalition that passed the landmark law mandating that 33% of California’s electricity comes from renewable energy by 2020, and continues to support the movement for a just transition towards 100% clean energy. He has worked to help implement AB 32, California’s key climate protection law, and his advocacy led to the passage of state law that cleaned up toxic pollution from diesel trucks. In his work as an environmental attorney, Andy fights for environmental protection and clean air, representing clients in cases before the California Public Utilities Commission.