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C.23

To:	Board of Supervisors
From:	John Kopchik, Director, Conservation & Development Department
Date:	October 19, 2021

Contra

Costa

County

Subject:

AUTHORIZE the Chair of the Board of Supervisors to sign on to a letter requesting the California Air Resources Board develop greenhouse gas emissions

APPROVE	OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR	RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE

Action of Board On: 10/19/2021

APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED

OTHER

Clerks Notes:

VOTE OF SUPERVISORS

AYE:

John Gioia, District I Supervisor
Candace Andersen, District II Supervisor
Diane Burgis, District III Supervisor
Karen Mitchoff, District IV Supervisor
Federal D. Glover, District V Supervisor

Contact:

Jody London, 925-655-2815

I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: October 19, 2021
Monica Nino, County Administrator

BY:	, Deputy

RECOMMENDATION(S):

AUTHORIZE the Chair of the Board of Supervisors to sign on to a letter requesting the California Air Resources Board develop greenhouse gas emissions inventories for all cities and counties.

FISCAL IMPACT:

Having the State develop the emissions inventory would relieve the County and cities in the county of the time and costs associated with that activity.

BACKGROUND:

Part of developing and implementing the County's Climate Action Plan is the preparation of an inventory of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Across the state, many local governments prepare these inventories, often with the assistance of outside consultants. Developing these inventories is complicated and time-consuming. Contra Costa County, along with many other jurisdictions, regularly encounters difficulty in obtaining all the data required to complete the GHG emissions inventory, specifically for commercial and industrial buildings.

BACKGROUND: (CONT'D)

For a few years, Contra Costa County and Alameda County and the cities in our two counties were able to jointly develop GHG emissions inventories as part of the East Bay Energy Watch (EBEW) partnership with PG&E. When PG&E terminated EBEW in 2020, the emissions inventory stopped. For some cities in Contra Costa County that inventory was the only activity they were able to take on climate action.

The County is updating our GHG emissions inventory as part of the ongoing update to the Climate Action Plan; this work is being performed by the consultants who are developing the General Plan and Climate Action Plan updates. Staff believes there is great value going forward in having a standard, statewide inventory format and methodology. This would better allow residents to compare emissions across jurisdictions. It would guarantee that all jurisdictions have access to GHG emissions inventories. And it would relieve individual jurisdictions from the time and costs required to develop these inventories.

The Local Government Commission is taking the lead in requesting that the California Air Resources Board (CARB) develop GHG emissions inventories for all cities and counties in California. Staff believes this would be very valuable to the County and the cities in our county. The LGC is asking local governments to sign on to a letter to CARB making this request. (Please note the attached letter may be modified slightly to reflect additional context before it is submitted.)

CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:

Failure to sign the letter would diminish the County's ability to advocate on behalf of a standard statewide format for GHG emissions inventories and seek relief of County responsibility to develop and maintain those inventories.