Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, November 21, 2017
Discussion
SUBJECT:
Title
CONSIDER RESOLUTION NO. 17-155 OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF CARSON, CALIFORNIA, APPROVING THE CITY'S CLIMATE ACTION PLAN (CITY COUNCIL)
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I. SUMMARY
California’s cities have been mandated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) since the adoption of AB 32 in 1990 and with subsequent action by the State Legislature. Carson has embraced GHG reduction efforts, including working with the South Bay Cities Council of Government (SBCCOG) to undertake GHG reduction programs. From 2005 to 20012 there has been a total reduction in GHGs in Carson by 17.1%. The municipal reduction was 26%.
The City of Carson has completed its work in coordination with the South Bay Cities Council of Governments (SBCCOG), to identify programs and undertake activities to develop a non-binding Climate Action Plan (CAP) that includes strategies (by sector) to reduce the City’s greenhouse gas emissions (GHG).
On November 4, 2015, the City Council adopted a resolution approving the Energy Efficiency (EE) Measures. The approved resolution completed Phase I of the CAP development process including establishing 2005 as the GHG emission baseline; forecasting emission reductions based on 2012 GHG inventory; and establishing 2020 and 2035 targets.
Council also directed staff to return for approval with the finished CAP (“Phase II”). Phase II is now complete. The work details goals, measures, and sub-strategies to mitigate community GHG emission sources in the sectors of land use and transportation (LUT), waste, greening, and energy generation/storage. Together, these measures, along with the previously approved Energy Efficiency measures, will constitute the City’s CAP.
II. RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
TAKE the following action:
1. WAIVE further reading and ADOPT Resolution No. 17-155 “A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL, OF CARSON, CALIFORNIA, APPROVING THE CITY’S CLIMATE ACTION PLAN.”
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III. ALTERNATIVES
TAKE such other action the City Council deems appropriate that is consistent with the requirements of law.
IV. BACKGROUND
Over the last several years, the SBCCOG has been preparing CAPs for each South Bay city. The first GHG inventories were funded by a special assessment. The Energy Efficiency Chapter was developed through funding from Southern California Edison (SCE) & Southern California Gas (SCG) to help meet goals from the CA Long-Term Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan. The final phase of the project was funded by the Strategic Growth Council and Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Technical support for the methodology to calculate the GHG reductions was provided by consultants Fehr & Peers, Atkins Consulting, and Studio 111; Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts; and support from the University of Utah.
The SBCCOG completed GHG inventories for 2005, 2007, 2010, and 2012. Inventories are a necessary first step towards development of CAPs. The 2005 inventory year serves as the baseline for which GHG reductions are measured. The last inventory, 2012, serves as the basis for the emission forecast. It was observed that for Carson, GHG emissions are primarily split between two sources -- energy and transportation - with a small fraction coming from waste, greening, and energy generation/storage. As part of the inventory and forecasting work, the City also set target dates for GHG reductions at years 2020 (15% below 2005 levels) and 2035 (49% below 2005 levels). These established targets are in-line with the State’s GHG reduction goals and help the City set objectives for obtaining the desired implementation results within the city.
Based on the 2015 approved Energy Efficiency Measures, the City will meet its established targets and with the strategies included in the additional proposed CAP chapters will continue to achieve reductions on a path towards helping the State meet its 2050 goals.
The SBCCOG also is developing a Subregional CAP that will support the proposed City's CAP strategies. This plan will include the LUT, Waste, Greening, and Energy Generation/Storage chapters. Unique to the South Bay, the SBCCOG LUT chapter will include GHG emission reduction measures that incorporate the Sustainable South Bay Strategy which is based on 12 years of research and focuses on neighborhood oriented development. As part of this effort, Fehr & Peers developed methodology for several of the strategies that are included in the proposed City CAP primarily for electric vehicle market acceleration.
Climate Action Plan Measures
The CAP, prepared by the SBCCOG in cooperation with the City, will serve as a roadmap and guidance document for reducing GHG emissions within City operations and the community at large. The CAP includes a list of non-binding goals, measures, and sub-strategies for the possible emission reductions by sector to reach the City’s GHG target for 2020. The forecast continues to describe the impacts of these strategies on the City’s target for the year 2035.
City actions towards implementing the plan were considered for both the short-term and long-term. Importantly, the plan does not include financial analysis of the cost-effectiveness of each measure.
This plan focuses efforts the City will take for development and sustainability for a low-carbon future. The policies and recommendations are to be considered as a complement to the business and goals expressed in the City’s General Plan and other policy documents. The non-binding City CAP is a guiding document to be used when assessing, prioritizing, and implementing future projects and policies towards the City’s sustainability goals.
V. FISCAL IMPACT
None.
VI. EXHIBITS
1. Climate Action Plan (pp. 4-78)
2. Resolution No. 17-155 (pp. 79-80)
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Prepared by: Richard Rojas, AICP, Senior Planner