At the October 21, 2019, Sustainability Commission meeting, the Commission recommended that the Board of Supervisors adopt a Climate Emergency Resolution. At its November 19, 2019 meeting, the Board referred this issue to the Sustainability Committee.
On December 9, 2019, the Sustainability Committee discussed options for structuring a climate emergency resolution. The Committee directed the Sustainability Coordinator to develop a draft climate emergency resolution in consultation with the Sustainability Commission and come back to the Committee. The Sustainability Commission at its February 24, 2020 meeting considered potential measures that could be included in the emergency declaration. Staff revised the climate emergency resolution to reflect input from the Sustainability Commission as well as the new realities of the COVID-19 pandemic and presented it to the Sustainability Committee at its May 29, 2020 meeting.
The Committee directed staff to revise the resolution in certain areas and further consult with the Sustainability Commission before bringing the resolution back for further consideration. The Committee suggested that there should be more linkage to the County’s Climate Action Plan (CAP), strengthening the “Be it Resolved” section, calling on all levels of government to declare a climate emergency, and acknowledging food systems. Subsequent to the May 29 meeting, the Committee has received additional written comments. The written comments received to date are attached. |
The Sustainability Commission discussed the attached revised draft resolution at its June 22, 2020 meeting. The Sustainability Commission also received oral comments from several community members at the June 22 meeting.
The Commission voted unanimously to recommend that the Climate Emergency Resolution include:
- Adopt more aggressive greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets than those adopted by the State, with a goal of zero emissions by 2035.
- Develop a building electrification reach code that includes all building types, not only residential.
- Adopt specifications for low-carbon building materials in all construction in the unincorporated County and in County facilities.
- Promote agricultural preservation with emphasis on lowering agricultural carbon emissions and helping to realize increased agricultural productivity and revenue streams associated with regenerative carbon sequestration in soil.
- Establishing a bi-annual report from the County Interdepartmental Task Force to the Board of Supervisors.
- Require reporting from staff on issues in the Climate Emergency Resolution directly to the Board of Supervisors.
- Encourage Contra Costa employers and businesses to incentivize remote work.
- Provide direction for additional infrastructure for alternative modes of transportation including bicycling, walking, and public transportation.
- The Just Transition task force will be initiated by the Sustainability Commission, with the understanding that it is envisioned to grow beyond the Commission’s scope of work.
The Committee should provide direction on whether the issues above should be included in the Climate Emergency Resolution. Below is some information that may inform the Committee’s consideration of these recommendations:
1. Adopt more aggressive greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets than those adopted by the State, with a goal of zero emissions by 2035. The current version of the climate emergency resolution calls for the County to support the State’s goals. It does not commit the County to specific reduction targets, although that will need to be addressed as part of the ongoing update to the Climate Action Plan. Adopting the same goals as the State means the County would commit to take action to be consistent with the State’s targets and goals, including:
1. 1990 greenhouse gas emission levels by 2020 (AB 32)
2. 40% reduction in greenhouse gasses below 1990 levels by 2030 (SB 32)
3. Net carbon neutrality by 2045 (Executive Order B-55-18)
4. 80% reduction in greenhouse gasses below 1990 levels by 2050 (Executive Order S-03-05)
5. By 2045, provide 100 percent of the State’s electricity from clean energy sources.
The Sustainability Commission, and members of the public, have expressed frustration at the pace of progress in fighting the climate crisis and want the County to set goals that are more ambitious than the State, and put us on a path to zero emissions by 2035.
There will be costs associated with adopting emissions reduction targets that are more aggressive than those adopted by the State. There also will be benefits from early action that avoids greater impacts of climate change and associated costs, as well as avoided health care costs. Until we know specific actions, it is difficult to quantify these costs and benefits. Attachment A provides an overview of reduction targets set by other counties.
It might be helpful to reflect on some of the existing plans and programs that could be acted upon to meet more aggressive climate targets. The County in 2018 completed a Renewable Resource Potential Study for Contra Costa County. The study finds that the greatest opportunity to increase the amount of renewable energy generated in the County is with solar energy, in two forms. The first is rooftop solar installed on buildings and parking lots in the developed, urbanized areas of the County. The second is with ground-mounted solar in the unincorporated areas of the County, both in "infill" areas such as industrial buffers and brownfields and in areas currently zoned for agriculture. In February 2019, the Board of Supervisors adopted a solar zoning overlay that allows ground-mounted solar in certain areas. Additional actions recommended in the study include developing incentives to improve the economics of "in-fill" solar development in urbanized areas, as well as collaboration with MCE to develop programs that incentivize construction of rooftop parking lot and infill solar installations and other recommendations through the General Plan and CAP update.
The County is in the process of installing solar on a number of County facilities, three of which will also include battery storage. The County is nearing completion of a new Emergency Operations Center and a new Administration building, both of which are LEED-rated projects and include solar energy.
The County in 2019 worked with the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) to develop an Electric Vehicle Readiness Blueprint. CCTA and the County are working with MCE to identify funding to help install more electric vehicle infrastructure and implement the Blueprint.
The County has adopted Complete Streets and Vision Zero policies that call for County roadways to be more friendly to pedestrians and bicyclists, and is working closely with transit providers, CCTA, 511 Contra Costa, and others to increase safety and accessibility of public transportation.
2. Develop a building electrification reach code that includes all building types, not only residential. Building electrification means that appliances and mechanical systems run entirely on electricity. The draft resolution calls on the County to develop a building electrification reach code for new residential construction. To date, a number of jurisdictions in California have adopted building electrification reach codes for both residential and commercial buildings (see Attachment B). The County’s Department of Conservation and Development has reported previously to the Sustainability Committee and the Sustainability Commission on plans to pursue a building electrification reach code for new residential construction.
3. Adopt specifications for low-carbon building materials in all construction in the unincorporated County and in County facilities. Low-carbon cement requirements are not included in the draft resolution. Marin County in November 2019 adopted requirements for the composition of concrete that maintains adequate strength and durability for the intended application and at the same time reduces greenhouse gas emissions. This code includes pathways for compliance with either reduced cement levels or lower-emission supplementary cementitious materials. The code and supporting materials were developed through a grant from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Precast elements and concrete masonry are exempted, though may be considered in future code cycles. The Sustainability Commission would like Contra Costa County to adopt similar specifications.
4. Promote agricultural preservation with emphasis on lowering agricultural carbon emissions and helping to realize increased agricultural productivity and revenue streams associated with regenerative carbon sequestration in soil. The draft resolution does not name reducing emissions from agriculture as an action. The operating version of the draft goals and strategies for the update to the Climate Action Plan calls for studying opportunities to sequester carbon. Staff is in the process of applying for a grant from the State Department of Conservation to develop a feasibility study for carbon sequestration in the different land uses in Contra Costa County.
5. Establish a bi-annual report from the County Interdepartmental Task Force to the Board of Supervisors. The draft resolution creates an interdepartmental task force of all County Department heads that will focus on implementing the Climate Action Plan. The draft resolution calls for the task force to report to the Board of Supervisors through the Sustainability Committee and to the Sustainability Commission on a bi-annual basis. The Sustainability Commission recommends that this task force report directly to the Board twice a year. Currently the Sustainability Commission provides an annual report to the Board. It is submitted via the consent agenda and includes a report on progress in meeting Climate Action Plan goals. It would be helpful to have an easy-to-access dashboard that can be regularly updated, posted online, and otherwise disseminate data to County staff and the community. Staff is working to build that as part of the Climate Action Plan update, although it is not in the current scope of work for the consultants.
6. Require reporting from staff on issues in the Climate Emergency Resolution directly to the Board of Supervisors. The draft resolution calls for the Sustainability Commission to include this topic in its ongoing advice to the Board of Supervisors.
7. Encourage Contra Costa employers and businesses to incentivize remote work. This is not named in the draft resolution. The County Administrator has reported to the Board of Supervisors that he is updating the County’s telecommute policy, which was last revised in the mid 1990s. The County works with 511 Contra Costa, the transportation demand agency for Contra Costa County. 511 Contra Costa offers programs to all employers and residents in the County to promote remote work, carpools, and alternate modes of transportation.
8. Provide direction for additional infrastructure for alternative modes of transportation including bicycling, walking, and public transportation. This is not named in the draft resolution. At community meetings for the ongoing updates to the General Plan and Climate Action Plan, community members have clearly articulated this priority. The current Climate Action Plan and the operating version of the draft goals and strategies for the update to the Climate Action Plan emphasize developing additional infrastructure for these priorities. The update to the General Plan also is expected to include policies that will facilitate alternative transportation modes. The Department of Conservation and Development is developing a map of existing bicycle infrastructure in the unincorporated County, through a grant from CalTrans.
9. The Just Transition task force will be initiated by the Sustainability Commission, with the understanding that it is envisioned to grow beyond the Commission’s scope of work. The draft resolution directs the Sustainability Commission to seek input from the community to help the County anticipate and plan for an economy that is less dependent on fossil fuels, helps plan for a “Just Transition” away from a fossil-fuel dependent economy, and considers how the County’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic can incorporate the County’s climate goals. The Sustainability Commission believes that the magnitude of developing a Just Transition plan over time will be greater than the expertise and time commitment of the Commission. The Sustainability Commission in February 2020 had recommended that the County appoint an advisory group or blue ribbon commission to undertake this work.
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