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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRes 2014-103 - Salton Sea Rstratn Rnwable Enrgy Initiative CITY OF PALM DESERT DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT STAFF REPORT REQUEST: CONSIDERATION TO ADOPT A RESOLUTION TO SUPPORT THE SALTON SEA RESTORATION AND RENEWABLE ENERGY INITIATIVE SUBMITTED BY: Kevin Swartz, Assistant Planner APPLICANT: City of Palm Desert DATE: December 11, 2014 CONTENTS: 1. Resolution No.2oi4-io3 2. List of other agencies in support Recommendation Waive further reading and adopt Resolution No. ?o i 4-i o3 supporting the Salton Sea Restoration and Renewable Energy Initiative. Executive Summary By adopting the attached resolution, the City of Palm Desert will support the Salton Sea Restoration and Renewable Energy Initiative. Over the years, the Salton Sea has developed increasing salinity and other water quality problems that have made it inhospitable to wildlife, recreation, and have impacted air quality for local communities and crops. These water and air quality issues present imminent public health and environmental risks that must be addressed. The Imperial Irrigation District (IID) and Imperial County have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and are requesting help from local cities by joining the Salton Sea Restoration and Renewable Energy Initiative. Backaround The Salton Sea is an endangered environmental resource, serving as a key resting stop on the Pacific Flyway for over 400 avian species but facing imminent collapse due to reduced inflows and increasing saliniry. In 2002, the state committed through the Salton Sea Restoration Fund Act to being solely responsible for the funding and implementation of a Salton Sea restoration plan to facilitate IID's authorization of the 2003 Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA), which is a series of agreements that enabled California to live within its 4.4 million acre-feet annual Colorado River entitlement. Subsequently in 2007,the state completed an environmental process identifying Salton Sea restoration alternatives, including an $8.9 billion preferred alternative that was never acted upon by the Legislature and that has received little to no attention since that time. Resolution No. 2014-103 Staff Report � Salton Sea Restoration and Renewable Energy Initiative Page 2 of 3 December 11, 2014 In 2003, the QSA authorized the nation's largest agricultural-to-urban water transfer, and was influenced by certain commitments the state of California assumed for itself beyond the environmental mitigation funding responsibilities of the participating water agencies. In 2018,the IID water transfer programs at the core of the 2003 QSA will fully transition from fallowing to efficiency-based conservation measures, and the mitigation deliveries meant to offset conservation impacts for the first 15 years of the QSA will have ended, resulting in significantly reduced inflows to the Salton Sea and the beginning of dramatic declines in water surface elevation, increased saliniry levels, and accelerated playa exposure. Implementation of Salton Sea restoration will offset the need for many expensive QSA air quality and habitat mitigation requirements. The Salton Sea Restoration and Renewable Energy Initiative will provide up to 1,700 megawatts of geothermal baseload energy and many other renewable generation opportunities such as solar, wind, solar gradient and other developing green technologies to assist load-serving utilities in meeting California's renewable portfolio standard requirements. Discussion On October 24, 2013, IID and Imperial County entered into an MOU aimed at finding a collaborative Salton Sea restoration solution designed to minimize the looming environmental and air quality impacts from the QSA water transfers projected to occur after 2017. The MOU is the foundation of the Salton Sea Restoration and Renewable Energy Initiative,which is focused on a smaller, but sustainable, Salton Sea. It is designed around reduced inflows, and taking advantage of the playa in the Known Geothermal Resource Area at the Salton Sea that will be exposed as the shoreline recedes.The initiative proposes the development of renewable energy projects and subsurface mining extraction opportunities to provide a $3 billion funding mechanism to jump-start restoration. Staff recommends that the City Council offer its support for the Salton Sea Restoration and Renewable Energy Initiative concept, which calls on the State of California to fulfill both its Salton Sea mitigation and restoration responsibilities. This is important to the City of Palm Desert, because as the sea recedes and the environmental problems increase, it could start to impact the overall health of the residents of the Coachella Valley. Plus, the Salton Sea is home to approximately 4 million birds in the winter time. It is also a major National Wildlife Refuge to many animal species, such as the Raccoon, Jack Rabbit,the Sidewinder, the Roadrunner, and many more. This is also the habitat for many endangered species such as the Desert pup fish which lives in the surrounding areas, the Peregrine falcon, the Clapper rail and many more.The Initiative will help protect the health and air quality of both the Imperial and Coachella Valleys' citizenry and wildlife, and ensure that this region's vital and large-scale agricultural operations remain productive. G�Pla�n�ng�Kevin Swanz�Wo�d�Misc Items�Support to�tne Salton Sea Restoiauon staH report tloc Resolution No. 2014-103 Staff Report Salton Sea Restoration and Renewable Energy Initiative Page 3 of 3 December 11, 2014 Fiscal Analvsis There is no significant fiscal impact to the City's General Fund resulting from supporting the Salton Sea Restoration and Renewable Energy Initiative. Environmental Review Pursuant to state and local environmental regulations, it has been determined that supporting the Salton Sea Restoration and Renewable Energy Initiative is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act(CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) (the activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment)and 15060(c)(3) (the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378) of the CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 3, because it has no potential for resulting in physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly. Any projects implemented to restore the quality of the water at the Salton Sea or to develop renewable energy sources there will be subject to detailed CEQA analyses. Submitted by: Department Head: l� . _ Kevin Swartz, Assistant Planner auri Aylaian, Director of Comm ity Development Approval: � CITY COUNCILA�'fION APPROVED �� DENiED ..l. � R EIVED OTHER John . Wohlmuth, City Manager - MEETI G D TE � AYES: f� ' ��r NDES: ABSENT: ABSTAIN: VERIFIED BY Original on File with City rk's Office G:\Planning\Kevin Swartz\Word\Misc Items\Support for the Salton Sea Restoration staff report.doc RESOLUTION NO. 2014-103 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA, SUPPORTING THE SALTON SEA RESTORATION AND RENEWABLE ENERGY INITIATIVE WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Palm Desert, California, met on the 11'h day of December, 2014, considered the request by the City of Palm Desert for approval of the above noted; and WHEREAS, the Salton Sea is an endangered environmental resource, serving as a key resting stop on the Pacific Flyway for over 400 avian species but facing imminent collapse due to reduced inflows and increasing salinity; and WHEREAS, in 2002, the state committed through the Salton Sea Restoration Fund Act to being solely responsible for the funding and implementation of a Salton Sea restoration plan to facilitate IID's authorization of the 2003 Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA), which is a series of agreements that enabled California to live within its 4.4 million acre-feet annual Colorado River entitlement; and WHEREAS, in 2007, the state completed an environmental process identifying Salton Sea restoration alternatives, including an $8.9 billion preferred alternative that was never acted upon by the Legislature and that has received little to no attention since that time; and WHEREAS, the continued viability of the 2003 QSA, which authorized the nation's largest agricultural-to-urban water transfer, is influenced by certain commitments the state of California assumed for itself beyond the environmental mitigation funding responsibilities of the participating water agencies; and WHEREAS, in 2018, the IID water transfer programs at the core of the 2003 QSA will fully transition from fallowing to efficiency-based conservation measures and the mitigation deliveries meant to offset conservation impacts for the first 15 years of the QSA will have ended, resulting in significantly reduced inflows to the Salton Sea and the beginning of dramatic declines in water surface elevation, increased salinity levels and accelerated playa exposure; and WHEREAS, implementation of Salton Sea restoration will offset the need for many expensive QSA air quality and habitat mitigation requirements; and WHEREAS, IID and Imperial County entered into a Memorandum of Understanding on October 24, 2013, aimed at finding a collaborative Salton Sea restoration solution designed to minimize the looming environmental and air quality impacts from the QSA water transfers projected to occur after 2017; and WHEREAS, the Memorandum of Understanding is the foundation of the Salton Sea Restoration and Renewable Energy initiative, which is focused on a smaller, but sustainable, Salton Sea. It is designed around reduced inflows, and taking advantage of the playa in the Known Geothermal Resource Area at the Salton Sea that will be exposed as RESOLUTION NO. 2014-103 the shoreline recedes. The initiative proposes the development of renewable energy projects and subsurface mining extraction opportunities to provide a $3 billion funding mechanism to jump-start restoration; and WHEREAS, these renewables can serve to provide up to 1,700 megawatts of geothermal baseload energy and countless other renewable generation opportunities such as solar, wind, solar gradient and other developing green technologies to assist load- serving utilities in meeting California's renewable portfolio standard requirements. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA, AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1: The City Council does hereby support the Salton Sea Restoration and Renewable Energy Initiative concept, which calls on the State of California to fulfill both its Salton Sea mitigation and restoration responsibilities. This is important to the City of Palm Desert, because as the sea recedes and the environmental problems increase, it could start to impact the overall health of the residents of the Coachella Valley. Plus, the Salton Sea is home to approximately 4 million birds in the winter time. It is also a major National Wildlife Refuge to many animal species, such as the Raccoon, Jack Rabbit, the Sidewinder, the Roadrunner, and many more. This is also the habitat for many endangered species such as the Desert pup fish which lives in the surrounding areas, the Peregrine falcon, the Clapper rail and many more. The Initiative will help protect the health and air quality of both the Imperial and Coachella Valleys' citizenry and wildlife, and ensure that this region's vital and large-scale agricultural operations remain productive. SECTION 2: Pursuant to state and local environmental regulations, it has been determined that supporting the Salton Sea Restoration and Renewable Energy Initiative is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) (the activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment) and 15060(c)(3) (the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378) of the CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 3, because it has no potential for resulting in physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly. Any projects implemented to restore the quality of the water at the Salton Sea or to develop renewable energy sources there will be subject to detailed CEQA analyses. SECTION 3: The City Clerk shall certify to the adoption of this resolution. RESOLUTION NO. 2014-103 PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Palm Desert, California, at its regular meeting held on the 11th day of December 2014, by the following vote, to wit: AYES: NOES: ABSENT: ABSTAIN: VAN G. TANNER, Mayor ATTEST: RACHELLE D. KLASSEN, City Clerk City of Palm Desert, California Resolution No. 2014-103 Salton Sea Restoration and Renewable Energy Initiative -Formal Endorsements- 1) Imperial Irrigation District 2) Imperial County 3) Riverside County 4) Salton Sea Authority S) City of Imperial 6) City of Holtville 7) City of Brawley 8) City of EI Centro 9) City of Coachella 10) Palm Springs Convention &Visitors Bureau 11) Metropolitan Water District (support letter from GM} 12) Imperial County Building & Construction Trades Council 13) Geothermal Energy Association 14) Geothermal Resources Council 15) Southern California Association of Governments 16) Coachella Valley Association of Governments 17) City of Indio 18) Palm Springs Regional Association of Realtors 19) California Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce 20) EI Centro Chamber of Commerce 21) Brawley Chamber of Commerce Updated 9/10/14