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    8.    
AD HOC COMMITTEE ON SUSTAINABILITY
Meeting Date: 08/22/2016  
Subject:    DIRECT staff to reconvene the interdepartmental Climate Action Plan Working Group and return with a report on progress to date.
Submitted For: John Kopchik, Director, Conservation & Development Department
Department: Conservation & Development  
Referral No.:  
Referral Name: DIRECT staff to reconvene the interdepartmental Climate Action Plan Working Group and return with a report on progress to date in achieving Climate Action Plan goals and where additional resources would be beneficial.
Presenter: Jody London, Sustainability Coordinator, DCD Contact: Jody London (925)674-7871
Information
Referral History:
There is no referral history for this item.
Referral Update:
BACKGROUND:
In December 2015, the Board of Supervisors adopted a Climate Action Plan (CAP). The CAP establishes goals for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while improving community health. The overall goals for the CAP are to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 15% below baseline by the year 2020, and 57% below baseline by the year 2035. This goal for 2035 would put County emissions at 50% below the levels in 1990.

The CAP meets California Environmental Quality Act requirements for developing a qualified greenhouse gas emission reduction strategy, and is consistent with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District guidance on preparing a qualified greenhouse gas reduction strategy, which provides streamlining benefits to development projects that are consistent with the CAP. Please see Figure 1. Baseline Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Forecasts, and Reduction Goals on page 1 of Attached Report.

The County’s greenhouse gas reduction measures are closely tied to public health measures, with many of the reduction measures also providing public health co-benefits. The reduction measures are grouped into six sectors:
  1. Energy Efficiency
  2. Renewable Energy
  3. Land Use and Transportation
  4. Solid Waste
  5. Water
  6. Government Operations
The charts on page 2 and 3 of the attached report show how each sector contributes to the CAP’s success. Reductions are for unincorporated areas of the County, and do not include cities and towns. Several of the cities and towns within the County have their own climate action plans and policies.

The County departments with primary responsibility for implementing the measures that comprise each goal are Conservation and Development, Public Works, and Health Services. The Agriculture Department has a small role. Each of these departments was part of the working group that developed the CAP.

Since the CAP was adopted in December, each department has been working on the programs and projects that will lead to greenhouse gas reductions. There has not yet been a reconvening of the working group. Since Sustainability Coordinator Jody London started on June 1, she has initiated meetings with County staff identified in the Climate Action Plan (CAP) as having a role in CAP implementation.

The upcoming anniversary of the CAP’s adoption provides the Ad Hoc Sustainability Committee with an opportunity to receive an update from staff on progress in meeting the CAP goals. Staff recommends the Committee direct the working group to reconvene and develop a report on what activities have occurred since the CAP was adopted, identify opportunities to improve on the CAP, and next steps. This report could also include information on goal areas where resources are sufficient, and goal areas where additional resources would be beneficial. This information could help focus where and how the County pursues funding opportunities.

The Department of Conservation and Development is considering whether there is value in establishing an inter-departmental committee on CAP implementation, and welcomes direction from the Committee in this regard.
Recommendation(s)/Next Step(s):
DIRECT staff to reconvene the interdepartmental Climate Action Plan Working Group and return with a report on progress to date in achieving Climate Action Plan goals and where additional resources would be beneficial.
Fiscal Impact (if any):
There is no fiscal impact.
Attachments
CAP Measures Progress Report

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