Berkeley Lab Government & Community Relations

State Government Relations

Managed by the University of California since its inception in 1931, Berkeley Lab has a long history of collaboration with the State of California, its second-largest partner after the federal government, and state-level projects across the country. Berkeley Lab works with state agencies to deliver actionable science and breakthrough technologies to advance clean, reliable, affordable energy; develop new water treatment technologies and groundwater recharge strategies; strengthen forest management; understand and mitigate extreme events and natural disasters; and support expanded entrepreneurship and workforce development.

For more information contact Jim Hawley, Director of State and External Relations

California Legislative Hearings

Date: August 16, 2023Hearing: California State Senate Select Committee on Hydrogen EnergyWitness: Adam WeberMinute: 24:30

Date: February 2022Hearing: Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management- Oversight Hearing: The Extreme Heat EmergencyWitness: Ronnen Levinson and Max WeiMinute: 54:33
Date: February 2020Hearing: Joint Climate Change Committee hearing Witness: Blake Hour/Minute: 1:49:45

Date: April 11, 2018Hearing: Senate Environmental Quality- Implementation of California Climate Change Policies Witness: Andy Jones

Date: Feb 20, 2019Hearing: Senate Environmental QualityWitness: Ravi PrasherMinute: 2:11

Joint Hearing Select Committee on Biotechnology and Select Committee on Green Innovation and Entrepreneurship

August 13, 2024

James Gardner, Program Manager for Berkeley Lab’s Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts Process Demonstration Unit (ABPDU), testified before two Assembly Select Committees about Berkeley Lab’s programs that support private sector development of innovative bio-based climate solutions. He was joined by leaders at two companies that have utilized ABPDU to develop sustainable bio-based products, Mango Materials and Checkerspot.

California State Senate Select Committee on Hydrogen Energy

Steps California Can Take to Create a Sustainable Hydrogen Economy

August 16, 2023

Berkeley Lab's Adam Weber highlights important steps California should take to create a sustainable hydrogen economy. >> MORE

UC Center Sacramento Presentations

February 24, 2022

Full Briefing Presentation

“Protecting Underserved California Homes from Extreme Heat”

Presenters: Elizabeth Grassi and Lynn von Koch-Liebert, California Strategic Growth Council; Janice Mathurin, West Fresno Family Resource Center; Assistant Professor Kelly Turner, UCLA; and Dr. Max Wei, Berkeley Lab

Dr. Max Wei, a research scientist in the Energy Analysis and Environmental Impacts Division at Berkeley Lab, is interested in climate change projects which focus on the intersection of climate resilience and equity. He and his team were awarded CCR funding to develop the CAL-THRIVES toolkit for the Fresno community and other disadvantaged communities in the Central Valley to improve their resilience to extreme heat.

May 15, 2019

Briefing Presentation

“Climate Change Adaptation: Challenges for California and the World”

Presenters: Professor William Collins, UC Berkeley/LBNL; Kate Gordon, Director, Governor’s Office of Planning and Research

Climate change is already posing significant challenges to California's vibrant social and natural environments. The climate community is very confident that temperatures and sea levels will increase and snowpack, a critical source of potable water, will decrease over the 21st century. >>MORE

August 1, 2018

Briefing Presentation

"Innovative Technologies to Expand California's Water Supply"

Presenters: Chinmayee Subban, LBNL; Peter Nico, LBNL; Dan Miller, LBNL

As droughts intensify and snowpacks diminish, California will need creative solutions to provide enhanced water supplies for urban use and agriculture. This presentation will focus on emerging big ideas to expand California's water supplies, from groundwater recharge, to low-cost desalination and energy efficient purification. >> More

State of California Briefings

(In Partnership with the California Council on Science and Technology)

Decarbonizing Transportation with Hydrogen

September 13, 2022

At the latest California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) expert briefing, Berkeley Lab's Ahmet Kusoglu discusses how hydrogen fuel cells work, how they are being improved, and how hydrogen safety is being evaluated for use in transportation.

Remote Sensing Technologies and Water Resilience

December 9, 2021

Dr. Peter Nico from Berkeley Lab's Earth and Environmental Sciences Area discusses how satellite based measurements offer a cost-effective way to generate high resolution data on groundwater resources.

The Future of Gases in a Decarbonized California

August 16, 2021

Dr. Hanna Breunig from Berkeley Lab's Energy Analysis and Environmental Impacts Division discusses how we can use bio pathways to produce green hydrogen.

Technologies for Renewable Energy Storage

July 20, 2021

Dr. Noël Bakhtian from Berkeley Lab's Energy Storage Center discusses new energy storage technologies that can help improve California’s resiliency to climate change.

Mitigating Extreme Heat in a Changing Climate

May 18, 2021

Dr. Sumanjeet Kaur from Berkeley Lab's Energy Technologies Area discusses material level solutions that can help mitigate extreme heat.

State of California Briefings Archive (2018-2019)

Date: 09/19/2019Briefing: Beneficial Uses of Woody Biomass from Wildfire Mitigation in CaliforniaPresenter: Dr. Aindrila Mukhopadhyay from Berkeley Lab's Joint BioEnergy Institute
Date: 04/04/2019Briefing: Environmental Impacts of Wildfires in CaliforniaPresenter: Dr. Michelle Newcomer from Berkeley Lab's Climate and Ecosystem Science Division
Date: 12/17/2018Briefing: California's Pathways to Carbon NeutralityPresenter: Dr. Blake Simmons from Berkeley Lab's Joint BioEnergy Institute