Sunrun Calls on the San Francisco Giants to Cut Ties With PG&E
PG&E an Unfit Corporate Sponsor Due to Anti-Solar Activities, Criminal Investigations, Says Sunrun
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 21, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Sunrun, the largest dedicated residential solar company in the U.S., sent a letter to the San Francisco Giants baseball team asking the franchise to cut sponsorship ties with PG&E. Sunrun contends that PG&E’s behavior, including its most recent proposal to stop rooftop solar competition in California and its response to the San Bruno pipeline disaster, makes it an inappropriate corporate sponsor for a franchise that is committed to sustainability and respect for the law.
In the letter, Bryan Miller, Senior Vice President of Public Policy & Power Markets at Sunrun writes: “If you are serious about your commitments to sustainability and respect for the law, you must cut ties with PG&E. PG&E’s dishonest media campaigns claim that it’s a ‘green’ company, but the truth is that the monopoly utility is currently asking the California Public Utilities Commission to eliminate rooftop solar.”
PG&E recently submitted a proposal to the California Public Utilities Commission to make California the first state in the country to eliminate net metering and levy discriminatory fees on solar customers.
“PG&E’s proposal would put California behind South Carolina on renewable energy leadership,” wrote Miller.
Sunrun also argues that PG&E’s unscrupulous response to the San Bruno pipeline disaster makes it an unfit corporate sponsor. According to a recent San Diego Union-Tribune editorial, PG&E refused to cooperate with federal investigators on the pipeline explosion that killed eight people. PG&E is now facing obstruction of justice and other criminal charges related to public endangerment. Similarly, the LA Times reported that there are signs that the company's safety performance has gotten worse since San Bruno, as the company is more focused on its public relations image than fixing structural deficiencies.
“Athletes routinely lose sponsorships for far more minor infractions,” wrote Miller. “If a baseball player were to be indicted for the same things that PG&E has been indicted for, it is inconceivable that the Giants would continue a sponsorship contract with that player.”
Sunrun is also calling on other members of the community to suspend sponsorship partnerships with PG&E.
media contact: Andrew Pontti 415-580-6900 ext. 6529
Released September 21, 2015