Gavin Newsom allocates $83 million for CSUB’s Energy and Innovation Building

February 24, 2022 /

California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB) will lead new directions in the use of renewable energy with the new Energy and Innovations building. Governor Gavin Newsom plans to invest $83 million in this project to improve and lead renewable energy in the state of California.

This Energy and Innovation Building will be focused on developing research for a new direction in energy development to reduce the use of fossil fuel. 

The oil industry is slowly coming to an end as new ideas are being developed to improve the quality of climate change. Governor Newsom has been vigorously working on climate change goals and there have been a number of restrictions on petroleum that indicate that renewable energy will be the new norm for Kern County.

“It’s an oil free future, low carbon, green growth, changing the way we produce and consume energy. California wants to maintain its international leadership. We put a stake in the ground as the first state in the nation to say we will not sell traditional internal combustion engines, gas-powered engines by 2035,” said Newsom.

California’s fight against climate change has increased as fracking permits began to be denied. 

Governor Newsom also proposed to add $250 million to help workers find jobs outside the oil industry. He aims to end oil production to help improve climate change.

Photo by: Esra Hashem

The Energy and Innovations Building is projected to be 74,000 square feet over three levels. There will be 44 new faculty members at CSUB. It will be home to CSUB’s California Energy Research Center for its central hub of research. The Fab Lab and Machine Shop will be extended and it will have an additional 17 laboratory spaces.

CSUB is planned to be the leader in the future of the energy industry in California. It will be the center of research and the future of renewable energy. 

Erica Murillo

Erica Murillo is a project coordinator and reporter at South Kern Sol. She was born in Bakersfield, California, and her origin is from Guanajuato, Mexico. She is a first-generation graduate from California State University, Bakersfield where she earned a degree in Liberal Studies with a minor in English. Murillo's first job was working in the fields picking grapes. She has been able to evolve and continue to grow within her career. She can be reached at erica@southkernsol.org.