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September 2, 2010
SCAG: Near-Unanimous Support for Reducing Greenhouse Gases, but Anger At State Budget Cuts

Led by frustration with state budget cuts, the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Regional Council voted on a narrow 29-21 split today to send ARB lower targets than proposed, and an offer to discuss higher targets if the state restores transportation and redevelopment budgets.

In a confused meeting where both the debate and public comment were cut short, the SCAG Regional Council voted for a target of 6 percent in 2020 and 8 percent in 2035.  The vote was close, and a number of Council members expressed frustration that the vote occurred before their voices had been heard.

The targets differ substantially from ARB’s draft targets of 8 percent by 2020 and 13 percent by 2035. The alternative numbers were proposed by Second Vice President Glen Becerra with little or no evidence in support of why those targets were more appropriate.

Nearly all Council members who spoke voiced their support for reducing greenhouse gases. Glen Becerra, the Council Member from Simi Valley who brought the motion for lower targets, asked that anyone who did not share that support to stand up: “I dare you.”

In using this vote to issue a referendum on state budget cuts, the SCAG Regional Council missed the opportunity to show leadership to improve the region’s air quality and to bolster the regional economy by responding to a shifting housing market. SCAG Executive Director Hasan Ikhrata emphasized that regardless of the final target, the region would assiduously work on a Sustainable Communities Strategy that addressed regional traffic and greenhouse gases.

There was excellent public testimony in support of the higher 13 percent target. Six developers spoke eloquently about the economic benefits of targets that support the shift in the real estate market. Pediatrician Dr. Robert Vinetz and several representatives of the American Lung Association spoke about the need for cleaner air to reduce smog and asthma.

The Council said they would be amenable to renegotiating the target if ARB agreed to a list of eleven conditions.  Some of these conditions, such as the reinstitution of full funding levels for state transit and redevelopment funding are outside of the ARB’s control. Others, including the timely construction of 30/10 transit projects in Los Angeles County, are predominately under local or federal control.  

August 9, 2010
California Releases Proposed SB 375 Regional Targets!

Today the California Air Resources Board (ARB) staff released its proposed regional targets for GHG reduction under SB 375.  Here are the numbers:

 
2020
2035
SCAG (Southern CA)

8%

13%*
MTC (Bay Area)
7%
15%
SANDAG (San Diego)
7%
13%
SACOG
7%
16%
San Joaquin Valley COGs
5%
10%**

* The 2035 target for SCAG is listed as “13% or more” pending a vote of the SCAG Regional Council on September 2nd.
** The targets for the San Joaquin Valley COGs would  be revisited in 2012.

These targets, especially those for 2035, are a great step forward, and we're excited to continue to work with the MPOs, local leaders, and the ARB to be sure each region is doing the best it can. Setting ambitious targets isn’t just about meeting our climate change goals; it's about making our communities healthier and better places to live. Through this process, we have the opportunity to improve air quality, to reduce levels of asthma and obesity, reduce traffic congestion, and build well-planned neighborhoods with jobs, shops, and other services located close to homes.

A few specifics about the targets:

For more info, contact ClimatePlan Director Autumn Bernstein.
Click here for the full report from the ARB staff.

 

August 2, 2010
Bay Area Recommends 15% Target

We’re happy to report that the Bay Area's Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) has recommended a regional target of 15% per capita GHG reduction by 2035!  By recommending 15%, the Bay Area has demonstrated its commitment to an ambitious approach to SB 375 and established itself again as a leader in promoting policies that will improve air quality and quality of life for its residents.

It was unfortunately quite an uphill battle.  The board’s decision came after an MTC planning committee and MTC staff had recommended a target of only 10%.  In making their decision, the MTC board noted that a more ambitious target would deliver significant benefits for their residents, including better transit, improved air quality and public health, and reduced household transportation costs.   

For more info, check out Amanda Eaken's blog on NRDC's Switchboard.
You can also read coverage from Streetsblog SF.

July 27, 2010
Summary of ARB Workshops From Around the State
From ClimatePlanners Autumn Bernstein, Carey Knecht, and Beth Steckler

CARB’s statewide target-setting tour has wound down (and just when we were starting to feel like true groupies!). At every meeting, dozens of speakers asked CARB for ambitious targets to make local communities healthier, economically stronger, more inclusive, and better places to live.

A few themes:
·  Great turnout by ClimatePlan partners and allies, many of whom used the guidance in ActionMedia’s messaging trainings to tell real-world stories about why better land use and transportation choices matter.
·  At every meeting, the Building Industry Association asked for modest targets, but often while admitting that they were the minority in the room.  A counter perspective on the economy and SB 375 was presented by many speakers who cited the Urban Land Institute's recent report.
·  Technical questions arose: how do CO2 reductions relate to VMT reductions? how do per capita reductions relate to net reductions?

Here are some highlights from each of the workshops.

Bay Area (Oakland)
On the eve of this Wednesday’s MTC meeting, the Oakland workshop was well-attended by Bay Area advocates. An interesting legal debate sprang up when Paul Campos of the BIA Bay Area asserted that the region could lose its federal funding and discussed the gap between existing land use plans and a policy-based blueprint, prompting responses from TRANSDEF, the Center for Biological Diversity, and others. Parisa Fatehi presented the social equity letter signed by numerous groups and her comments were echoed by other speakers. Kate White presented the Urban Land Institute’s research and asked for an ambitious target. Jenny Bard read the great list of Bay Area cities that have endorsed pro-SB 375 resolutions.

Southern California
All three workshops in the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) region were overwhelmingly positive. SCAG President Larry McCallum (City of Highland) opened each workshop with  a call to CARB to respect the bottom-up approach and to take a collaborative rather than a regulatory approach, and SCAG's Jacob Lieb talked about the work SCAG has done to date. Some mild opposition was voiced at each by representatives from the BIA but the tone was soft enough that later speakers were successful in including them at the big table of planning for sustainable communities. SCAG's Compass Blueprint project continues to earn high praise and SCAG announced a new sustainability competition (with cash awards) as well as a round of workshops on the Sustainable Communities Strategies beginning in late summer. 

In Los Angeles, Santa Monica City Councilmember Terry O'Day talked about the call from the community to be more sustainable and how Santa Monica has encouraged growth without increasing the number of car trips. There was a lot of discussion about supporting walk and bike options, and many speakers made persuasive arguments for equity and a fit between the wages of local jobs and the cost of buying or renting a home.

In Corona (Riverside County), Sixteen year old Otana Jodpur stole the show with her command of recent health studies on the impacts of air pollution on children and the mixed feelings she harbors as her five year old sister gets ready to attend kindergarten only 44 meters from a freeway. Evelyn Trevino (San Bernardino County Public Health) declared her agenda -- getting people to be more physically active -- was not shared by all, but that the solutions to get there are being embraced by people with different agendas. Different agendas, same solutions. A local resident raised concerns about road widening near MetroLink stations serving to encourage people to drive and community activist Jan Block proposed a new freeway system - one for bikes!

At the Ventura workshop, Ventura Mayor Bill Fulton spoke with pride of Ventura's "all-infill" General Plan and welcomed the merger of the RHNA and RTP. Fulton also called on CARB to embrace Best Management Practices (BMP) and asked the state to align it's fiscal incentives to local government with the state's growth policies. Ventura County Supervisor and RTAC member Linda Parks said Ventura could do better with more transportation money. Rachel Morris (VC Cool) talked about how as she works on making the "Avenue" neighborhood a better place to live the connections between transportation, gas prices, transit, bicycling, density, brownfields clean up and economic development become very clear. Citing the need for everyone to do their part, advocates from Santa Barbara called on ARB to not give small MPOs a pass.

San Joaquin Valley (Fresno)
Fresno stood out for the extensive grassroots advocacy on community health and equity. For example, three teenage girls brought poster-sized photographs to illustrate the stories they told about the need for cleaner air and better places to walk and bike. Several advocates testified in Spanish about the need for better infrastructure and safer places for walking and biking. The Fresno-Madera Medical Society read letters from three physicians. Rollie Smith from HUD spoke about the new federal Sustainable Communities Initiative that could bring new funding to good planning.  The San Joaquin Valley’s draft targets are 1 to 7 percent, but a BIA representative asked for targets no higher than 1 percent because of the region’s rural conditions, while Granville Homes, a builder revitalizing downtown Fresno endorsed the existing range.

Sacramento
West Sacramento Mayor Christoper Cabaldan pointed out that the economic downturn is the right time to create a vision and put new standards in place for the next wave of growth and urged ARB to establish uniformly high targets across the state. SACOG Director Mike McKeever noted there are still real problems with the models that could cause ARB to set inappropriately low targets based on “glitches.” He noted that having regions go to an APS because of a high target is preferable to a “dumbed-down” target that provides CEQA incentives to sprawl.  Local advocates raised important questions about whether the proposed targets would add up to absolute GHG reductions.

San Diego
As the first region to adopt an SCS, San Diego advocates noted the importance of setting an ambitious target for this region.  Coronado City Councilwoman Barbara Denny said her community is already doing smart growth and welcomes the opportunity that SB 375 provides to do more.  Advocates from local environmental, equity and public health groups and community members spoke about the challenges San Diego residents face.  Several speakers noted the importance of restoring funding for transit.

Even with the strong show of support at the workshops, ARB staff and Board members will continue to need to hear voices calling for ambitious targets in the weeks ahead.  Thanks to everyone for your hard work to make these workshops a success, and let's keep it up!


July 1, 2010
ARB Sets Draft Regional GHG Reduction Targets
Public Workshops Scheduled for July

At the California Air Resources Board (ARB) meeting on June 24th, the Board took testimony and discussed regional greenhouse gas reduction targets as part of SB 375 implementation.  Following the ARB staff presentation, thirty people testified in public comment, all of them speaking in favor of high targets and strong implementation of SB 375.  The list of speakers included local elected officials, physicians and health professionals, infill builders, and advocates from all of California's major regions.

The ARB released draft target ranges for 2020 and 2035 (click here to download a pdf of the ARB's draft target report). For the big 4 MPOs, the range proposed for 2020 was 5-10%.  For 2035, ARB adopted very wide "placeholder" ranges, from 3-19%, that are identical to the ranges the MPOs submitted in their scenarios.  This reflects the uncertainty and inconsistency surrounding the MPOs' treatment of 2035  -  some actually suggest that their 2035 targets should be lower than in 2020.  The MPOs acknowledged that there were problems with their 2035 scenarios and committed to working on those scenarios over the course of the summer.

For the Valley MPOs, ARB is recommending targets of 1-7% for both 2020 and 2035.  Board member D'Adamo expressed concern that the Valley would be left behind under this scenario with relatively weak targets, and called for additional work on the Valley in the next few months.

Overall. the hearing was a great success in demonstrating the broad support for strong SB 375 implementation, and staff's "placeholder" caveats on the 2035 targets creates a window of opportunity to continue working towards “ambitious and achievable” targets for the future.

The ARB is hosting public workshops throughout the month of July to gather public input on the targets. The workshops are a great opportunity to provide feedback to the ARB and to continue to show support for ambitious goals. Click here for a list of workshop dates and locations. For more info on how to get involved, contact the ClimatePlan Sacramento office at 916-441-0204.


June 23, 2010
New Report: "Vision California" Shows Better Planning Will Save Money, Cut Pollution, and Reduce Dependence on Oil

A new analysis released today finds that building more healthy communities - with access to transportation options, and closer to jobs, shopping, schools and parks - could save money, cut pollution, and reduce our dependence on oil. “Vision  California:  Charting  Our  Future”  was  conducted  by  Calthorpe  Associates, one of the nation's leading planning and design firms.   It  assesses  the  economic,  energy,  health  and  land  impacts  of  different  options  for  accommodating  a  state population  expected  to  reach  60  million  by  2050.  The  report  analyzes  the  financial  and  environmental  benefits  of  state,  regional  and  local  land  use  and  transportation  policies, and finds  Californians  will face  an  enormous  price  tag  if we continue with a “Business  as  Usual”  future. People  spend  more  time  in  their  cars,  traveling  nearly  183  billion  more  miles  and  using  over  6.5  billion  more  gallons  of  gasoline  each  year  than  they  would  in  a  “Growing  Smart”  future  that  brings  housing,  jobs,  and  everyday  needs  closer  together.  Compared  to  the  Business  as  Usual  future,  the  Growing  Smart  future  reduces  annual  household  costs  for  gas,  auto  maintenance  and  household  utility  bills  by  45%  in  2050.    
 
Click here to download the Report Summary and Key Findings.
Click here to listen to the Califonria Report's coverage, "Smarter Regional Planning Necessary to Reduce Car Use"
For more info, go to www.visioncalifornia.org.


June 21, 2010
ARB to Discuss Draft Targets: Critical Board Meeting on June 24th

At an upcoming meeting on June 24th, the California Air Resources Board will take up the issue of assigning greenhouse gas reduction targets to the state’s regions.  The targets are an initial step in the process of implementing SB 375, California’s landmark smart growth law.  A recent study by ULI indicates that successful implementation of SB 375 could "accommodate growth in ways that are economically sound, environmentally responsible, and socially beneficial."  This meeting is a great opportunity to give input directly to the CARB board before the targets are finalized.  For more info, contact ClimatePlan Associate Director Carey Knecht.

Meeting Details:
June 24th, 9am-5pm
CalEPA, Byron Sher Auditorium
1001 I St., Sacramento, CA
Webcast can be accessed at http://www.cal-span.org/
Click here for meeting notice and agenda.

June 7, 2010
New ULI Study: SB 375 is Good for Economy and Environment

Last week, the Urban Land Institute released an SB 375 Impact Analysis Report which says that SB 375 could "accommodate growth in ways that are economically sound, environmentally responsible, and socially beneficial."

ULI, a developer-backed research group with nearly 30,000 members worldwide, released the report at a TOD Marketplace event in Los Angeles.  The report finds that SB 375 will "help California meet the shifting market demand for housing, allocate public resources more efficiently, and ensure a better quality of life."

Click here to download the report (8.71 MB pdf) or here for a one-page summary (22 KB pdf). Click here for the the news release from ULI.

 

May 19, 2010
Mark Your Calendar: Regional Targets Advisory Committee Meeting - May 25th in Sacramento

Join ClimatePlan and others at the upcoming meeting of the California Air Resources Board’s advisory committee.  Each of the regions is expected to submit a proposed target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to the ARB on May 24th. The RTAC will be analyzing the submissions and what impacts they might have, and providing direction to CARB on how to move forward with developing a statewide target (expected at the end of June).  If you’re interested in more, contact Carey Knecht, ClimatePlan Associate Director, at carey AT climateplanca DOT org.

RTAC Meeting Details:
Tuesday, May 25th, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 
Cal/EPA Headquarters, Byron Sher Auditorium
1001 I Street, Sacramento, CA
Click here for meeting notice and agenda for this meeting.
On the day of the meeting, webcast can be viewed here.


April 23, 2010
League of Cities Upholds Support for SB 375

Yesterday, the California League of Cities voted overwhelmingly to continue its support of two of California's landmark climate change bills. A few of the League's committees had recommended that the group seek a delay in implementing both AB 32 and SB 375. According to one of the League's Board members, Jean Quan from Oakland' s City Council, "There are a lot of reasons for us to continue to do what's right, and most of it has to do with the future of our kids." We are thrilled with the decision.
Click here to read coverage from the San Francisco Chronicle.

March 25, 2010
Strategic Growth Council Finalizes Planning Grant Guidelines

Last week, the Strategic Growth Council approved its final planning grant guidelines and some important last-minute changes were incorporated.  Thank you to all the groups that sent letters and provided input! A few notable inclusions to the guidelines are:

In today's tight times, the SGC planning grant funds can help local governments do great planning and participate in the SB 375 process. A key next step will be to ensure the submission of projects that encourage local-regional collaboration and address the full range of benefits that good growth can create. For more info, please contact Carey Knecht, ClimatePlan Associate Director.


March 2, 2010
ClimatePlan Welcomes Denny Zane!

We are thrilled to announce that ClimatePlan has hired Denny Zane, an influential leader in Southern California, to lead our regional campaign in Southern California. Read on for a brief bio and rundown of Denny's many accomplishments.

Denny Zane was elected as a Santa Monica City Councilmember in 1981 and Mayor in 1988. As council member and mayor, Denny initiated and designed the revitalization strategy for Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade, now a regional and national model for urban revitalization. Denny Zane is also the Executive Director of Move LA, an organization working to coalesce environmental, labor, business, community and student leaders and organizations to ensure sufficient funding to provide a clean, efficient, and robust transit system for Los Angeles County. Move LA played a key role in moving Measure R, which provided for a 1/2 cent sales tax increase for transportation purposes, to the Los Angeles County ballot where it was approved by 2/3 of voters on November 4, 2008. Measure R will generate nearly $40 billion in new transportation dollars over 30 years - 70% of which will go to transit.

LA Streetsblog recently profiled  Denny as part of a  article about bringing more federal funding to Southern California for transit and bikeway. Click here to read LA Streetsblog's article.


December 14, 2009
ARB Holds Hearing on RTAC Report
Next Step: Statewide Target to be Released in March 2010

At the November meeting of the California Air Resources Board (ARB), the Board discussed the SB 375 RTAC report and took testimony from RTAC members and members of the public.  The Board did not take any decisive action, but the hearing provided an opportunity for the Board and interested public to discuss the RTAC’s recommendations, which will guide the manner in which greenhouse gas reduction targets are set for the land use/transportation sector.  Click here to view the RTAC’s recommendations. 

In summary, most of the Board members were very supportive of the RTAC report - particularly how such a diverse committee achieved consensus on the path forward.  ClimatePlan was extremely pleased that Board members expressed support and enthusiasm for the recommendation that the target-setting process be as inclusive and collaborative as possible.  The Board also had a very positive discussion about elevating the role of additional community benefits (such as improvements in public health) in the target-setting and SCS creation process. 

As the target-setting process moves forward, there will be a number of key opportunities for input.

October 27, 2009
ClimatePlan Elects New Steering Committee

We are thrilled to announce that the ClimatePlan partnership has elected a new Steering Committee!  For the past two years, ClimatePlan has been led by our Management Team, a group of individuals who have done an extraordinary job bringing ClimatePlan out of its infancy and into a post-SB 375 world.  In keeping with the priorities that we outlined in our new Strategic Plan, we expanded the committee to include more diverse representation from throughout the state.  The new Steering Committee includes:

Stuart Cohen, TransForm
Judy Corbett, Local Government Commission
Amanda Eaken, NRDC
Chione Flegal, PolicyLink
Bonnie Holmes-Gen, American Lung Assoc. in California
Stephanie Reyes, Greenbelt Alliance
Julie Snyder, Housing California
Elizabeth Tan, Urban Habitat
Ed Thompson, American Farmland Trust
Michael Woo, Smart Growth America

We're looking forward to working closely with each of our Steering Committee members as ClimatePlan forges ahead!

October 9, 2009
Final RTAC Report Released

It's official - the Regional Targets Advisory Committee final report is now available.  The report outlines both a process for assigning regional GHG reduction targets, and recommendations to ensure SB 375 is successfully implemented. 

The Air Resources Board will consider the RTAC's recommendations at its November 19th meeting.  We don't yet know exactly what actions the Board will take at that hearing, but given the tight timeline for the target-setting process, it is likely that the Board will take some decisive action so that the process can get underway. 

Overall, we are quite happy with most of the report. Keep reading for our analysis of what's good and what's bad, or download the full report here.

What's Good:
*A transparent and participatory target-setting process.  The report outlines a seven-step process for setting targets that involves a lot of back-and-forth between the regions and the ARB.  ClimatePlan successfully pushed to ensure that this process will be transparent at every step along the way, and  that it will provide opportunities for public participation at key junctures.

* Robust discussion of what ambitious, achievable targets should look like.

* Ensuring co-benefits are modeled, quantified and considered:  There is a section dedicated to co-benefits including economic benefits, public health improvements, and natural resource protection. Co-benefits are also discussed in other key sections of the report, including the model improvements process and public outreach.

* The importance of social equity, transit funding and affordable housing: The report stresses the importance of funding for transit and affordable housing, and of identifying the linkages between equitable communities and GHG emissions.

* Advocacy for a strong federal transportation bill: A section of the report is dedicated to the importance of having complementary programs and funding policies at the federal level.

* Limited the scope of the BMP approach:  The report maintains that while best management practices, or 'BMPs' should be used by ALL regions as a planning and educational tool, only the smallest regions (such as Butte and Shasta) should be allowed to use a 'BMP-only' approach to demonstrate compliance with their region's GHG target, and only in the first round of SCS creation (until 2014 or so). 

What's Bad:
* BMPs for Large Regions? The RTAC was split on whether large regions (particularly Southern California) should be able to use the BMP-only approach.  We think this is a terrible idea, because it would exclude the use of travel models, which are the best and most accurate tools we have to quantify the GHG emissions from land use and transportation.  The controversy over this idea was the most divisive issue among RTAC members, and at various times the committee voted against or in favor of it, depending upon which RTAC members were present at the meeting.  In the end, the RTAC report neither endorses or rejects this approach, and simply encourages CARB to carefully consider all the pros and cons before making a decision.

 

September 20, 2009
RTAC Update -- That's All She Wrote (Almost)

On September 16th, the SB 375 Regional Targets Advisory Committee hosted an action-packed meeting as they raced to finish their report before the statutory deadline of September 30th.  When the dust settled after a day of  unprecedented decisiveness, the RTAC had taken action on most of the outstanding issues, including many of concern to ClimatePlan members, such as public participation, transparency, and what it means to have an “ambitious achievable” target.  (Click here to read ClimatePlan’s comment letter). The controversy surrounding the use of “Best Management Practices” was not resolved and will be decided by the Air Resources Board later this fall.

Rather than schedule an additional meeting to finalize the report, the RTAC selected a subcommittee to prepare a final draft and circulate it to the rest of the RTAC for approval via email.  You can view the most recent draft of the report here.


August 13, 2009
ClimatePlan is Hiring!

Now that we’re getting settled into our new Sacramento office, we are hiring for two new positions -- an Organizing Director and an Administrative Associate. 

The Organizing Director will work with the ClimatePlan Director and partners to increase the size and strength of our statewide network, oversee on-the-ground organizing efforts in Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley, and mobilize coalition partners around key policy debates at the state and federal level.  He or she should have a strong organizing background and campaign management experience.
Click here for job announcement (123 KB pdf).

The Administrative Associate will provide a variety of support services for our new Sacramento office and must be able to juggle multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment.
Click here for job announcement (151 KB pdf)

August 5, 2009
We've Moved! Visit Our New Sacramento Office

After guiding ClimatePlan’s work from the lovely Sierra Nevada for more than a year, we've moved the bulk of our operations down to the big city to make things run a little more efficiently.  ClimatePlan’s main office is now located in downtown Sacramento!  ClimatePlan Director, Autumn Bernstein, has already moved in and we will be hiring for a couple of new positions in the coming months.

Our new contact info is:
717 K Street, Suite 330
Sacramento, CA  95814
Phone: 916-441-0204, x 304 (Autumn)
Fax:  916-441-0752

Catherine Cecchi, Communications Manager, will continue to work from her home office in South Lake Tahoe – she can be reached at 530-448-1291 or by email.

June 30, 2009
ClimatePlan Adopts New Strategic Plan

In January 2009, ClimatePlan initiated a collaborative strategic planning process to determine how California's smart growth movement can work together to best take advantage of recent historic opportunities to advance better planning and build a stronger movement statewide.  Over the course of four months, ClimatePlan engaged our network of partners and allies from across California – and those working at the federal level – to help us identify the goals and strategies that we as a movement should embrace in implementing SB 375, and what role ClimatePlan should play in achieving them.

Our new Strategic Plan is the culmination of that process.  It includes focused mission and vision statements, a set of guiding principles, and a new governance structure for ClimatePlan.  In addition we identified three strategic priorities which will provide the basis for ClimatePlan's work through June 2011.  Our priorities are:

Click here to download the Strategic Plan (886 KB pdf)
Click here to download the Appendix, “Realizing the Potential of SB 375: An Index of ClimatePlan Partners and Their Work” (115 KB pdf)

We are grateful to all of our partners and collaborators for your contributions to the Strategic Plan.  We look forward to working with you to make the vision a reality.

 

June 8, 2009
SB 375 RTAC Update - We're Halfway There!

When SB 375's Regional Targets Advisory Committee (RTAC) met on June 3rd in Oakland, it marked a turning point in multiple ways.  The RTAC is now halfway through its appointed lifetime -- the committee's final report is due in September -- creating a sense of urgency about the work that remains. 

More significantly however, the RTAC took a new direction, turning away from highly technical discussions about modeling and methodology.  Instead, the committee dove into the underlying policy questions that will ultimately determine whether and how SB 375 is successfully implemented.  What does it mean for a region to adopt an SCS or an APS?  What does it mean to have "ambitious, achievable" regional targets?  What incentives are needed to get local governments to implement SCS's? While there were no conclusive answers to any of these questions, it made for a lively discussion and there's a sense that RTAC is finally getting to the core of the issues.  The conversation continues at next month's meeting, July 7th at SCAG headquarters in Los Angeles.  For more information about the RTAC, contact us or visit the official RTAC website at http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/sb375/sb375.htm

June 1, 2009
ClimatePlan's Michael Woo Interviewed by LA Streetsblog

(Intro to the interview) Michael Woo has a long history fighting for a cleaner Los Angeles.  In the late 1980's, he was the rare City Councilman who was also a trained urban planner and had a strong showing in the 1993 Mayoral Election coming up short to Mayor Riordan.  He currently teaches urban planning at USC, and consultant to Climate Plan, a coalition promoting transportation and Land-Use strategy.  Streetsblog caught up to him in the USC faculty lounge on Bike to Work Day to talk about Climate Change, S.B. 375 and what all of us can do.
Link to full interview


May 11, 2009
SCAG Unveils Conceptual Land Use Scenario

The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) is quickly moving forward with planning for SB 375 implementation.  At its Regional Council Meeting on May 7-8, the agency unveiled its SB 375 Conceptual Land Use Scenario.  The Land Use Scenario takes into account projected growth throughout the region and identifies areas of opportunity for compact, transit-oriented development near job centers and transit.  SCAG is also in the process of exploring how the region's emission reduction target could be divided among its 14 subregions.

Click here to view SCAG's presentation of the Conceptual Land Use Scenario.
Click here to read the Desert Sun’s coverage of the meeting and click here for the Press-Enterprise article.


April 23, 2009
California Groups Push Feds to Adopt Strong Climate-Smart Growth Bill

Thirteen California organizations signed on to a letter to federal legislators, urging them to support a strong transportation component in the federal climate bill. The letter was directed to Rep. Henry Waxman (CA), Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and urges him to ensure that federal policies support California’s groundbreaking goals and policies to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from land use and transportation planning.  Hearings on the proposed legislation are being held this week. 
Click here to read the letter
Click here to go to the Energy and Commerce Committee’s website

 

March 31, 2009
Reps. Waxman and Markey Release Draft of Federal Climate Change Legislation

Reps. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Edward Markey (D-Mass.) released a discussion draft of federal climate change legislation on March 31st.  The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES), is “a comprehensive approach to America’s energy policy that charts a new course towards a clean energy economy.”  Rep. Waxman is working closely with Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Calif) to develop the transportation section of the bill which is nearly identical to Matsui’s Smart Planning for Smart Growth Act of 2009, which was released Monday.  Click here to read the transportation section of the Waxman-Markey bill. 

Smart Growth America and Environmental Defense are spearheading efforts to improve the legislation.  For more info, contact Colin Peppard with EDF at (202) 572-3258 or Stephanie Potts at Smart Growth America at 202-207-3355 ext 25. 


February 2009
Implementation of SB 375 and Strategic Growth Council Gets Underway

SB 375 Regional Targets Advisory Committee:  The RTAC held its first meeting on Feb 3 in Sacramento, giving us our first glimpse of where the RTAC is headed.  Chair Mike McKeever of SACOG facilitated the meeting, which mostly focused on getting RTAC members up to speed on the issues, and framing their work over the next 8 months. The RTAC also decided to schedule "staff workgroup" meetings in between the regular monthly RTAC meetings, with the goal of supporting and advancing the work of the RTAC.  These workgroup meetings, as well as the regular RTAC meetings, will be open to the public.  The first staff workgroup meeting has been scheduled for Feb. 19th from 1:30 - 5 pm in Sacramento.  The next official RTAC meeting has not yet been scheduled, but will likely be in early March.  Meeting agendas, materials and other pertinent info are available on the SB 375 website established by CARB: http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/sb375/sb375.htm

Strategic Growth Council (SB 732):  The Strategic Growth Council is also gearing up.  The Council will hold its first meeting next Tuesday, February 17th from 4 - 5:30 pm in Sacramento.  The meeting is open to the public.  The Governor's Office of Planning and Research (OPR) has established a website for the Council, where meeting agendas, documents and info about the Council will be posted.  Check out the site and get more info on next week's meeting by clicking here: http://opr.ca.gov/index.php?a=sch/growthcouncil.html

OPR posts comments on CEQA Guidelines:  OPR is also playing a role in amending the CEQA guidelines to address greenhouse gases.  The deadline for public comment was Feb 2, and OPR has posted all the comments it received. You can review the public comments, as well as the proposed amendments, by clicking here: http://opr.ca.gov/index.php?a=ceqa/index.html No word yet on when we can expect to see a revised draft, but OPR must submit its recommendations to the Resources Agency by July 1.  The Resources Agency will then have its own process to finalize the guidelines.

AB 32 Implementation: The AB 32 implementation process continues, with dozens of state agencies taking the lead on the various strategies outlined in the AB 32 Scoping Plan.  At this point, it appears that the land use strategies are being addressed exclusively through the SB 375 implementation process. More info about AB 32 implementation is available here: http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/scopingplan/scopingplan.htm


January 2009
Regional Targets Advisory Committee Members Announced
First Meeting Scheduled For Feb. 3rd

The SB 375 Regional Targets Advisory Committee will hold its first meeting on Tuesday, February 3rd from 10 am to 3 pm. At this initial organizing meeting, the RTAC will discuss a work plan for delivering recommendations related to ARB’s establishment of regional targets for the purpose of reducing greenhouse gases from passenger vehicles. There is opportunity for public comment - click here for the meeting agenda.

In addition, we are pleased to announce that ClimatePlan partners Stuart Cohen, Amanda Eaken, and Michael Woo are among the 21 members of the RTAC. Click here for a full list of RTAC members and their bios.

 

December 8, 2008
California Leaders Call for Higher Land Use Target

A wide spectrum of leaders from throughout the state have called on the California Air Resources Board to adopt a higher target for greenhouse gas reductions from the land use sector in the AB 32 Scoping Plan. Click on the links below to read a few recent comment letters from leading organizations and elected officials. Click here to get involved.

U.S. Representative Ellen Tauscher (CA - 10th District)
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom
Elected Officials from Oakland, Rohnert Park, Redlands, Encinitas, and Richmond
Green Cities California (representing nine major California cities)
Local Government Commission (signed by 70 local elected officials, planners, builders, and other experts)
EAH Housing
Alameda County Public Health Dept.

December 3, 2008
CARB to Vote on Scoping Plan December 11th

CARB will make a final decision on the AB 32 Scoping Plan at its meeting on December 11th (the vote is the first item on the agenda). While the Board has agreed to investigate a higher goal for emission reductions from the land use sector, the agency is under increasing pressure to keep the target at 5MMT. Scroll down to read more and learn how you can provide input.

ovember 26, 2008
November 26, 2008
Good News for Land Use: CARB to Investigate Higher Target – But the Status Quo is Pushing Back

The California Air Resources Board has agreed to investigate a higher target for reducing emissions from the land use sector, but proponents of the status quo are already pushing back and encouraging CARB not to raise the bar.

At its November hearing, a number of board members expressed concern and interest with the land use sector, the role of local government, and the plight of transit funding. At the end of the discussion, which spilled into the second day of the meeting, the Board directed staff to explore a higher target for reducing emissions from the land use sector.

The revised target will be part of a new package brought back to the Board for approval at their December 11th meeting. While the Board didn't give a specific number, they directed staff to explore a number "somewhere in the range of 10-15 MMT."

ClimatePlan has advocated that a target in the 11-14 MMT range is necessary for the state to meet its long-term climate change goals. We're in the final stretch, and we need your help to ensure that CARB adopts that higher target!

If you have not yet submitted comments, there’s still time. CARB will be accepting written comments until noon, December 10th, but we encourage you to submit your comments as soon as possible. The easiest way to submit is online – click here to view the Proposed Scoping Plan and provide your comments. Click here for ClimatePlan's talking points on the Proposed Scoping Plan, and click here for more detailed info on why a higher target is needed.

The Air Resources Board is expected to approve the Plan at its meeting on December 11th (click here for meeting agenda). There is opportunity for public comment during that meeting as well, but we encourage you to get comments in as soon as possible so that the Board members will have time to review them before making their decision. For more information, contact Catherine Cecchi at catherine@climateplanca.org.


November 3, 2008
ClimatePlan Analysis of AB 32 Scoping Plan

ClimatePlan has released a set of recommendations for the California Air Resources Board's (CARB's) AB 32 Scoping Plan. The Scoping Plan, which was unveiled in October, includes policies that would cut emissions from new development by an estimated 5 million metric tons (MMT) by the year 2020. While ClimatePlan recognizes the state’s progress on advancing smart growth – the new plan more than doubles the emission reduction target for land use from the previous draft – a more ambitious goal is needed, and a better suite of tools to reach that goal must be encouraged.
Click here to download ClimatePlan's recommendations for the Final Scoping Plan.
Click here to download our Fact Sheet about why a higher target is necessary.

Our recommendations include:

 

October 2008
New Analysis finds that California can Achieve Greater Greenhouse Gas Reductions through Smart Growth

A new analysis finds that the State of California’s effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) can achieve much higher targets than previously suggested using smart growth strategies. The new analysis, completed in a joint effort by Reid Ewing of the University of Maryland’s National Center for Smart Growth and Arthur C. Nelson of the University of Utah, finds that smart growth strategies could result in global warming pollution emission reductions more than six times higher than the target now being considered by the California Air Resources Board (CARB).

The Air Board is now estimating a reduction of 5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO2E) as a part of the AB32 scoping plan—the roadmap the state will use to reduce GHG emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2020. The new analysis finds that a full package of smart growth policies can achieve 14.4 – 17.9 MMTCO2E in reductions by the year 2020.

Ewing and Nelson are two of the authors of Growing Cooler, a book published earlier this year by the Urban Land Institute on the topic of land use and climate change. The book's methodology was used by CARB to estimate the greenhouse gas emissions reductions possible through smart growth policies.

The new analysis recommends that CARB revise its estimate upward to account for a flawed series of assumptions and the omission of non-VMT CO2 reductions associated with smart growth.