Ismael Bautista
Senior Counsel
Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas)
Ismael Bautista is senior counsel at the Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), the nation’s largest natural gas utility, where he provides strategic advice and counsel to management regarding renewable energy and supplier diversity, and represents the company before the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). Bautista has been instrumental in supporting SoCalGas’ sustainability strategy that includes a bold commitment of achieving net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in its operations and delivery of energy by 2045.
Bautista represents SoCalGas in the CPUC’s Biomethane Proceeding focused on (1) establishing procurement targets for renewable gas, which would displace fossil-based natural gas, and (2) whether hydrogen should be blended into the gas system.
In February 2022 the CPUC issued a decision establishing a renewable gas standard (RGS) for all California natural gas utilities, an important step toward decarbonizing
the gas system and reducing short-lived climate pollutant emissions; California is the
first state to adopt an RGS and SoCalGas will now be required to replace 12.2% of the traditional gas it delivers to core customers with renewable gas by 2030. For the two years prior, Bautista was a zealous advocate through his multiple CPUC advocacy filings, strategic advice to senior executives, and engagement meetings with various stakeholders. His tireless efforts helped achieve this historical decision that will help significantly reduce GHG emissions in California.
He is also seeking CPUC approval to establish hydrogen blending demonstration pilots that would inject up to 20% of hydrogen into the pipeline, similarly reducing GHG emissions.
