HomeMy WebLinkAboutRes 2010-7 - Environmental Sustainability Plan CITY OF PALM DESERT
DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
STAFF REPORT
REQUEST: APPROVE AND ADOPT THE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY PLAN,
GREENHOUSE GAS INVENTORY AND RESOLUTION NO. 2010-7 ,
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF PALM DESERT ENACTING POLICIES
AND PROGRAMS TO REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
SUBMITTED BY: Missy Grisa, Assistant Planner
DATE: February 11, 2010
CONTENTS: Environmental Sustainability Plan
Greenhouse Gas Inventory
Resolution No. 2p10_7
Recommendation
Approve and adopt the Environmental Sustainability Plan, Greenhouse Gas
Inventory and Resolution No2ol0-�a resolution of the City of Palm Desert enacting
policies and programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Core Sustainabilitv Team Recommendation
A Core Sustainability Team was formed to review the extended lists of goals, actions, and
policies recommended from each of the six community outreach resource groups:The Built
Environment, Energy Management, Materials Management, Regional Air Quality,
Transportation Resources, and Water Management. These community outreach groups
were comprised of interested individuals from the community, local industry professionals
and city staff representative of each category.The Core Sustainability Team was comprised
of two Council members, the City Manager, department directors and upper management
from applicable departments, along with the City-hired consultant. The Core Sustainability
Team reviewed and separated these lists into realistic, achievable ideas and the Plan that
the group as a whole unanimously endorsed and that is presented here.
Executive Summary
The consultant retained to organize the Environmental Sustainability Plan and provide the
City with a Greenhouse Gas Inventory was hired in June 2008. The consultant began with
the community outreach section, establishing local goals and visions on how to reduce Palm
Desert's ecological footprint. Simultaneously, the consultant conducted its own local
research to establish the Greenhouse Gas Inventory for the City of Palm Desert. After the
information was gathered, a Core Sustainability Team was formed to evaluate the drafts and
edits of the consultant. The team met several times to establish a plan that the City could
wholly embrace.
Staff Report
Approval of Environmental Sustainability Plan
Page 2 of 3
February 11, 2010
Backqround
On January 1, 2007, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 became effective. This law,
commonly referred to as AB 32, requires the state to cap greenhouse gases to 1990 levels by 2020.
Soon after AB 32 came into effect, SB 375 was approved. SB 375 requires a sustainable
communities strategy allowing local planning to make the necessary choices to reduce vehicle miles
traveled and reduce urban sprawl. The goal is to create attractive, walkable, sustainable
communities and revitalize existing communities. As these two bills began to become common
terminology, Palm Desert officials decided to move forward with this information and look at Palm
Desert as a whole. As these two bills became effective, communities were confused about the
responsibility for implementing these new laws. Communities needed specifics in quantities,
methods and how they could measure progress in the implementation of these new laws. The
California Air Resources Board will be preparing reduction measures for AB 32 by early 2011 and
establishing regional targets and methodology for SB 375 by late September 2010.
With these new laws in place, Palm Desert staff and City Council members hired a consultant to
begin the research necessary to comply, even prior to the California Air Resources Board
establishing exact measures and methods. In June 2008, EcoMotion was hired to begin this
process. The consultant was responsible for researching and developing an Environmental
Sustainability Plan and conducting a Greenhouse Gas Inventory.
The research began with local community outreach. Six sustainability resource areas were
established: The Built Environment, Energy Management, Materials Management, Regional Air
Quality,Transportation Resources and Water Management.The community outreach groups met in
2.5 hour sessions, multiple times,to discuss varying perspectives from local industry professionals,
interested members of the community knowledgeable in each resource area,and city staff.Visions,
goals, and recommended actions were established by each group as an extensive list; those
separate lists were then reviewed by the consultant and combined into the first draft of the
Sustainability Plan.
The Core Sustainability Team was established to review the draft versions of the proposed
Environmental Sustainability Plan. This team reviewed and reorganized the structure of the
document into a format that would be easily read and navigable by the general public. Several draft
versions were reviewed and amended to come up with the current recommended plan. Members of
this team consisted of two Council members, the City Manager, department directors and upper
management from applicable departments, along with the consultant who sorted through the
extensive lists and draft versions of the plan to establish a concise plan.
Upon receiving the results of the Greenhouse Gas Inventory, the Core Sustainability Team
discussed Resolution 07-78. Resolution 07-78 is a pledge that the City of Palm Desert adopted to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions 7% below 1990 levels by 2012. This resolution was adopted in
December 2007. The team went back to evaluate how realistic this resolution would be to achieve.
After the numbers provided by the consultant were reviewed, staff realized this goal would not be
realistically achieved. The commitments to the sustainability goals of the City were the same, but it
was decided to replace the baseline with the year 2008. Staff now has the current numbers to
determine the necessary reductions, and a resolution replacing 07-78 is provided as part of this
report and recommendation.
G:\Planning\Missy Grisa\Sustainability Plan\Council Staft Report.doc
Staff Report
Approval of Environmental Sustainability Plan
Page 3 of 3
February 11, 2010
The Environmental Sustainability Plan will be implemented in three phases. Phase I will occur during
the years 2010 and 2011. These first planned activities will be low-to no-cost measures, given the
current economy. Phase II will occur in 2012-2015 and will build upon the Phase I measures and
initiatives. A greater investment will be required at Phase II to gain greater levels of efficiency. Phase
III will begin in 2015 and go through 2020. Final goals and mandates will be achieved with the
measures in Phase II1. Periodically, these measures will be evaluated to ensure that the plan is on
the right track for achieving the goals set forth. The first evaluation will be in one year, midway
through Phase I activities.
Staffing of the Environmental Sustainability Plan also was discussed by the Core Sustainability
Team. It was decided that one existing staff inember would be identified as the Sustainability
Coordinator during Phase I of the action plan. Phase I occurs during the years 2010 and 2011.
When Phase II, or 2012, is nearing, executive management will re-visit staffing to determine if the
Sustainability Coordinator position requires a full time commitment or if more staff resources are
available or necessary to carry out the action plan. After 2012, staffing resources will be re-
evaluated on an annual basis.
Staff recommends approval of the Environmental Sustainability Plan and Greenhouse Gas Inventory
as presented. The written text is what has been evaluated in sequential drafts. The Sustainability
Coordinator will be tasked with the graphic design of the document so that it reads as a
professionally constructed document with graphics highlighting points of particular interest.The end
product will read more as an informational magazine rather than a solid word document, inviting the
reader to engage more actively in the goals described.
Fiscal Analvsis
The fiscal impact of implementing the plan will be absorbed by an internal staff person at this time.
Phase I measures, although low-to no-cost items,will result in a cost of$550,000 to$3,830,000(as
estimated by the consultant). Phase II and III will be more expensive to implement, leveraging
greater efficiencies throughout the city. Periodically staff will provide updates to City Council on
expenditures as foreseen through experience in implementing the Plan. When Phase I is nearing
completion, staff will review the remaining recommended actions as set forth in the Environmental
Sustainability Plan and establish the next set of actions, review estimated costs, and provide an
update to City Council. Council authorization will be sought prior to embarking on Phases II and III.
Submitted by: Department Head:
M' sy Grisa Lauri Aylaian
Assistant Planner Director of Community Development
CiTY COUNCIL AS7t'ION
Approval: APPROVED � DFN?F.D _�
R EIVED OTHER
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MF,F,TI G DATE '� '
J M. Wohlmuth AYF,S: � s� a� - -! �rfZj
' Manager NOES:
AI3SENT;
AI3STAIN:
G:\Planning\Missy Grisa\Sustainability Plan\Council Staff Report.doc
V�RIFIED BY: �
Original on File with City erk's Office
RESOLUTION NO. 2oio-�
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA, APPROVING AND
ADOPTING THE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
PLAN AND GREENHOUSE GAS INVENTORY ENACTING
POLICIES AND PROGRAMS TO REDUCE GREENHOUSE
GAS EMISSIONS
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Palm Desert, California, did on the 11tn
day of February, 2010, consider the request to enact policies and programs as outlined in
the Environmental Sustainability Plan; and
WHEREAS, a Greenhouse Gas Inventory was completed for the baseline year of
2008; and
WHEREAS, the City of Palm Desert pledges to enact or beat the target of
reducing harmful global emission levels to seven (7) percent below 2008 levels by
2012.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Palm
Desert, California, as follows:
The City of Palm Desert will comply with Assembly Bill 32 and Senate Bill
375 through a combined effort in implementing the Environmental
Sustainability Plan and the Greenhouse Gas Inventory through
recommended actions measured from the baseline year of 2008, unless
specified otherwise, in the following six resource areas:
1. The "Built Environment" resource category identifies policies and
actions to address efficiency and the environmental impacts of
man-made improvements and construction such as buildings,
roads, and parking lots.
2. "Energy Management" re-establishes the city goal to reduce overall
and peak electricity and gas demand/consumption by 30% in five
years from the 2007 baseline year.
3. The "Materials Management" category details upstream
procurement policies and downstream management.
4. "Regional Air Quality" identifies local and regional measures to
clear the air of particulates and PM 10, which will promote healthy
air quality.
CITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION NO. 2010-�
5. "Transportation" aims to increase mobility through identifying and
promoting alternative means of transportation, reducing vehicle
miles traveled, and thus gasoline consumption.
6. "Water Management" references the declining levels of the aquifer
that supplies the Coachella Valley and aims to reduce water
consumption by 30% in five years, upon adoption of this resolution,
from the baseline year 2010.
PASSED, APPROVED and ADOPTED at a regular meeting of the Palm Desert
City Council, held on the _th day of , 2010, by the following vote, to
wit:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
CINDY FINERTY, Mayor
ATTEST:
RACHELLE D. KLASSEN, City Clerk
City of Palm Desert, California
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