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. Berkeley Lab has worked with more than 10 California agencies to support state solutions to challenges in renewable energy, energy efficiency, water treatment, groundwater management, climate change mitigation/adaptation, forest management, mitigation of wildfire and extreme events, community resilience, disaster response and entrepreneurship/workforce development.
For more information contact Jim Hawley, Director of State and External Relations
State of California Hearings
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
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
“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.
“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
"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
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.
Beneficial Uses of Woody Biomass from Wildfire Mitigation in California
September 19, 2019
Dr. Aindrila Mukhopadhyay from Berkeley Lab's Joint BioEnergy Institute discusses ways to improve the utility of woody biomass from wildfire mitigation efforts.
Environmental Impacts of Wildfires in California
April 4, 2019
Dr. Michelle Newcomer from Berkeley Lab's Climate and Ecosystem Science Division discusses the impacts of wildfires to California's air and water quality.
California's Pathways to Carbon Neutrality
December 17, 2018
Dr. Blake Simmons from Berkeley Lab's Joint BioEnergy Institute discusses how we can take the carbon that's available and transfer it into a usable product that is renewable and sustainable.