Staff outreached to RCPA to discuss possible options for assistance and/or grants which may ... BMW i3 electric vehicles
City of Sonoma City Council
City Council Agenda Item: Meeting Date:
7D 11/21/2016
Agenda Item Summary Department Administration
Staff Contact Carol E. Giovanatto, City Manager
Agenda Item Title
Discussion, Consideration and Possible Action to Adopt Local Climate Action Measures as Referenced in the Climate Action 2020 Plan Summary In August 2016, staff brought forward the Climate Action 2020 Plan [CAP] representing a coordinated effort amongst the nine cities and the County of Sonoma to address efforts to reduce Green House Gas emissions. This Plan was the result of an extensive amount of work by staff, local and regional partners, business leaders and consultants. The outcome for Sonoma was the recommendation of 22 Climate Action Measures which, if focused on and integrated into a larger workplan, will bring Sonoma closer to meeting it’s Climate 2020 GHG reduction targets. At the same time that the CAP was being presented for adoption, litigation was filed by California River Watch against the County and the County Regional Climate Protection Agency [RCPA], challenging the EIR utilized by the RCPA in approving/preparing the Climate Action Plan. Due to potential exposure to litigation through the City’s participation in the JPA with the County and the RCPA, the City Attorney advised that the approval of the CAP be held in abeyance until the lawsuit was concluded. The lack of an approved CAP or coordinated plan does not lessen the need for Sonoma to continue working towards addressing Climate Change measures and is in line with Council Goals [POLICY & LEADERSHIP: Expand focus on elements of the Climate 2020 Plan Targets]. These efforts to increase focus will need to be addressed in a collaborative approach through a combination of resources. Staff has been reviewing options of moving forward with implementation of the measures as defined in the CAP and a methodology to create a timeline and workplan to meet the City’s target goals along with other duties and priorities as set forth in Council Goals. To move the process forward and begin to make measurable progress on the City’s GHG target goals, staff is recommending the following: 1) By resolution, Council adopt all 22 Climate Action Measures as detailed in the Climate Action 2020 Plan 2) Authorize staff to review options for College Intern and/or Community Volunteer to assist with updating current inventory data and designing implementation program 3) Work with CSEC sub-committee on implementation and community outreach
Recommended Council Action By resolution, adopt all 22 Climate Action Measures as detailed in the Climate Action 2020 Plan and authorize staff to move forward with implementation of measures including options for enlisting outside support staff. Alternative Actions
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Council discretion. Financial Impact Undetermined at this time. Additional costs for this program will be presented at a subsequent Council meeting for a requested budget modification. Environmental Review Environmental Impact Report Negative Declaration Exempt Not Applicable
Status Approved/Certified No Action Required Action Requested
Attachments: Supplemental Report Resolution Climate Action Plan Measures Excerpt from Climate Action 2020 Plan for City of Sonoma ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Alignment with Council Goals: POLICY & LEADERSHIP: Expand focus on elements of the Climate 2020 Plan Targets; lead by example with the Sonoma community __________________________________________________________________________________ Compliance with Climate 2020 Action Plan Target Goals: Adoption of the 22 CAP Measures will be the initial step towards full compliance with Climate 2020 Goals. cc:
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SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT Discussion, Consideration and Possible Action to Adopt Local Climate Action Measures as Referenced in the Climate Action 2020 Plan For the Meeting of November 21, 2016
In August 2016, staff brought forward the Climate Action 2020 Plan [CAP] representing a coordinated effort amongst the nine cities and the County of Sonoma to address efforts to reduce Green House Gas emissions. This Plan was the result of an extensive amount of work of staff, local and regional partners, business leaders and consultants. The outcome for Sonoma was the recommendation of 22 Climate Action Measures which, if focused on and integrated into a larger work plan, will bring Sonoma closer to meeting it’s Climate 2020 GHG reduction targets. At the same time that the CAP was being presented for adoption, litigation was filed by California River Watch against the County and the County Regional Climate Protection Agency [RCPA] , challenging the EIR utilized by the RCPA in approving/preparing the Climate Action Plan. Due to potential exposure to litigation through the City’s participation in the JPA with the County and the RCPA, the City Attorney advised that the approval of the CAP be held in abeyance until the lawsuit was concluded. The lack of an approved CAP or coordinated plan does not lessen the need for Sonoma to continue working towards addressing Climate Change measures and is in line with Council Goals [POLICY & LEADERSHIP: Expand focus on elements of the Climate 2020 Plan Targets]. These efforts to increase focus will need to be addressed in a collaborative approach through a combination of resources. Staff has been reviewing options of moving forward with implementation of the measures as defined in the CAP and a methodology to create a timeline and work plan to meet the City’s target goals along with other duties and priorities as set forth in Council Goals. These options are discussed below: 1. REGIONAL SUPPORT THROUGH REGIONAL CLIMATE PROTECTION AUTHORITY [RCPA] Staff outreached to RCPA to discuss possible options for assistance and/or grants which may be available since the City of Sonoma is not working alone to implement climate action measures. There are a number of regional partnerships in place that provide assistance and cost effective implementation to the City. First and foremost, the City will work with the RCPA to develop a CAP measure implementation work plan for 2017 that will leverage regional efforts led by the RCPA on behalf of the entire Staff Working Group (all ten local governments). The proposal outlined in Chapter 4 of the CAP explains how the RCPA will continue to provide coordination across all local jurisdictions, pursue grant funds for implementation, develop model policy and program tools, update GHG inventories, and monitor CAP implementation progress. Some of these efforts have stalled due to resource constraints, but the RCPA is working to secure funding to ensure these services can be offered to the city in 2017 and beyond. The RCPA also provides for the management and oversight of several grant funded programs underway at least through 2017. These programs can help accelerate GHG reduction measure implementation in Sonoma by providing technical assistance, rebates, financing, planning tools, and trainings to various audiences. Current RCPA programs include Energy Upgrade California
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incentives for retrofits, Home Energy Score residential energy performance benchmarking, the Bay Area Multifamily Building Enhancements Program, the BayREN Codes and Standards program, the BayREN Pay As You Save (PAYS) on bill repayment program, and the Shift Sonoma County low carbon transportation planning project. The collaboration between the city and the County’s Energy Independence Office brings important tools for building retrofits to property owners that want to implement water efficiency, energy efficiency, and renewable energy measures. These include the green business program, Sonoma County Energy Watch, Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing, and a Do It Yourself home retrofit kit program. Sonoma Clean Power allows residents to easily sign up for clean local energy, and for a slight premium, to sign up for carbon free EverGreen power. The Drive EverGreen program, launched in October, provides steep discounts on Nissan Leaf and BMW i3 electric vehicles, plus incentives for residential chargers. In the near term, the City can work with these and other regional partners, as identified in the Regional Climate Action Plan, to promote existing tools and encourage greater participation by local businesses and residents. Once the city confirms priorities for new local actions, the RCPA will provide support to define specific implementation plans. An example of how the RCPA can support implementation illustrated in this table from the CAP:
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2. ENLIST OUTSIDE STAFF ASSISTANCE With the City’s existing staffing levels, consideration is being given to enlisting the services of the Sonoma State college intern program. It is somewhat apparent in reviewing the measures and the calculation of credits currently attributed to Sonoma, that there is a potential that some of the City’s existing programs were overlooked or under-valued. These are areas that should be reviewed to assure that we have an accurate base level. By way of example, items such as inventory of solar installations, updating of energy codes and City vehicle inventory already exist or have been completed. Additionally, staff believes that consideration could be given to the use of a community volunteer to work with City departments to assist in educating our own staff in opportunities to increase our GHG reductions through operational changes or future budgeting of equipment. Climate change is a process of both action and education externally and internally.
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3. COMMUNITY SERVICES & ENVIRONMENT COMMISSION [CSEC] The City ‘s Community Services and Environment Commission [CSEC] has established a subcommittee to work on this project and would be utilized throughout the process as the steps are further refined. The adoption of the measures is key followed by a prioritization. Staff also views a local public education component as vital to the Climate Action Plan success and this is where the CSEC can play a major role on behalf of the City.
NEXT STEPS Staff has outlined options available for Council consideration to begin the process to achieve further compliance with GHG targets. Staff is seeking Council discussion and direction to begin implementation of the CAP measures as an adjunct to staff’s existing work plan. To move the process forward and begin to make measurable progress on the City’s GHG target goals, staff is recommending the following: 1) Council adopt all 22 Climate Action Measures as detailed in the Climate Action 2020 Plan 2) Authorize staff to review options for College Intern and/or Community Volunteer to assist with updating current inventory data and designing implementation program 3) Work with CSEC sub-committee on implementation and community outreach
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CITY OF SONOMA RESOLUTION #___-2016 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SONOMA ADOPTING CLIMATE ACTION 2020 MEASURES FOR THE CITY OF SONOMA AND MAKE FINDINGS THAT THEY ARE EXEMPT FROM ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW PURSUANT TO SECTION 15308 of TITLE 14 OF THE CALIFORNIA CODE OF REGULATIONS Whereas, climate change is a serious threat to worldwide and strong action is needed to avoid serious damage to human wellbeing and natural systems, and Whereas, the implementation of Climate Action 2020 Measures developed for the City of Sonoma will result in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and will thus result both in substantial environmental benefits, and Whereas, achieving the objectives of Climate Action 2020 measures for the City of Sonoma will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and will have numerous other collateral public benefits, such as reducing other unhealthful emissions, improving public health through alternative modes of transportation, and improving efficiency and reducing waste. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT, 1. Exemption from Environmental Review. The adoption and implementation of the climate protection measures developed for the City of Sonoma in Climate Action 2020 are categorically exempt from environmental review pursuant to section 15308 of title 14 of the California Code of Regulations, because these measures constitute actions taken by a regulatory agency, as authorized by state or local ordinance, to assure the maintenance, restoration, enhancement, or protection of the environment. 2. Adoption of Climate Protection Measures. The City Council adopts the Climate Action 2020 measures for the City of Sonoma, and the emissions reduction targets contained in Climate Action 2020. The foregoing Resolution was duly adopted this 21st day of November 2016, by the following vote: Ayes: Noes: Absent: __________________________________ Laurie Gallian, Mayor
ATTEST:
__________________________________ Rebekah Barr, MMC, City Clerk
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