California Interfaith Power and Light is a project of Regeneration Project. For information on the group’s finances, see Regeneration Project.

California Interfaith Power and Light (CIPL) is a collective of left-of-center religious organizations that advocate for environmentalist policies, including government-mandated caps on non-weather-dependent energy production.

Background

California Interfaith Power and Light was established in 2001 by Sally G. Bingham of The Regeneration Project. ¹ Bingham intended for CIPL to serve as an organization that would guide all 50,000 congregations within CIPL to transition their churches to weather-dependent sources of energy. ²

Policies

California Interfaith Power and Light advocates for both nationwide measures to reduce non-weather dependent energy production through international commitments in addition to smaller-scale state and municipal-focused policies. ³

International Climate Policy

CIPL has stated that it supports the United States entering into further international treaties that would commit it to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through cuts to the production of non-weather-dependent energy sources. ⁴ In addition, CIPL takes the position that the United States should make greenhouse gas emission cuts that are disproportionate to the amount of greenhouse gases it produces because of a purported “moral responsibility that wealthy countries have to financially assist less-wealthy countries.” ⁵

In a blog post linked by CIPL to the North Carolina chapter of Interfaith Power and Light, the director of that organization, Susannah Tuttle, stated that she attended the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 27) to advocate on behalf of Interfaith Power and Light, ⁶ and that she has lobbied Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to pressure the Department of State and the Biden administration’s climate czar John Kerry to fund an international loss and damage (L&D) finance facility. ⁷ A L&D finance facility is a proposed international body that would be funded by the largest producers of greenhouse gases and used to rebuild infrastructure allegedly destroyed due to climate change in other countries. ⁸

Community Choice Aggregation Policy

CIPL advocates for policies that push utility and energy transmission companies to agree to provide communities with electricity sourced from exclusively weather-dependent sources of energy. This advocacy includes pushing for legislation and engaging in public comments that force utility companies to agree to deliver electricity from specific as opposed to source-neutral pools of electricity, ⁹ a process known as community choice aggregation. CIPL congregations currently participate in two community choice aggregation initiatives, Peninsula Clean Energy and Silicon Valley Clean Energy. ¹⁰

Leadership

Susan Stephenson is the executive director of California Interfaith Power and Light. Prior to joining the organization, she served as vice president of the Oakland-based business consulting firm The Next Generation. ¹¹

1. “About Us” California Interfaith Power & Light. https://www.interfaithpower.org/about-us/
2. “About Us” California Interfaith Power & Light. https://www.interfaithpower.org/about-us/
3. “CCAs – Unstoppable Transition to Clean Energy” California Interfaith Power & Light. https://www.interfaithpower.org/ccas-unstoppable-tranisition-to-clean-energy/
4. Druffel, Allis. “COP 27 – Global Climate Action Demanded” California Interfaith Power & Light. November 14, 2022. Accessed November 29, 2022. https://www.interfaithpower.org/2022/11/cop-27-global-climate-action-demanded/
5. Druffel, Allis. “COP 27 – Global Climate Action Demanded” California Interfaith Power & Light. November 14, 2022. Accessed November 29, 2022. https://www.interfaithpower.org/2022/11/cop-27-global-climate-action-demanded/
6. Druffel, Allis. “COP 27 – Global Climate Action Demanded” California Interfaith Power & Light. November 14, 2022. Accessed November 29, 2022. https://www.interfaithpower.org/2022/11/cop-27-global-climate-action-demanded/
7. ^[1] Druffel, Allis. “COP 27 – Global Climate Action Demanded” California Interfaith Power & Light. November 14, 2022. Accessed November 29, 2022. https://www.interfaithpower.org/2022/11/cop-27-global-climate-action-demanded/
8. Druffel, Allis. “COP27 Reaches Breakthrough Agreement on New “Loss and Damage” Fund for Vulnerable Countries” United Nations Climate Change. November 20, 2022. Accessed November 29, 2022. https://unfccc.int/news/cop27-reaches-breakthrough-agreement-on-new-loss-and-damage-fund-for-vulnerable-countries
9. “CCAs – Unstoppable Transition to Clean Energy” California Interfaith Power & Light. https://www.interfaithpower.org/ccas-unstoppable-tranisition-to-clean-energy/
10. “CCAs – Unstoppable Transition to Clean Energy” California Interfaith Power & Light. https://www.interfaithpower.org/ccas-unstoppable-tranisition-to-clean-energy/
11. “Staff- Susan Stephenson” California Interfaith Power & Light. https://www.interfaithpower.org/about-us/staff/