ECOS Climate Committee meeting 11/16/2023

ECOS Climate Committee meeting
Thursday, November 16, 2023 – 6 PM start (Zoom)
Link to join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6656164155
To phone in: 669-900-6833, Meeting ID: 665 616 4155

6:00 PM: Welcome and Introductions

6:10 PM: Timothy Irvine-Alavi (Chair, Sacramento County Climate Emergency Mobilization Task Force)
will report on the Task Force’s progress on recommendations to County Supervisors to be presented this winter. These result from their Energy Technical Advisory Panel (especially existing building electrification), their Transportation Technical Advisory Panel, and their Outreach and Education Subcommittee.

6:40 PM: Tamie Dramer (Executive Director, Organize Sacramento)
will present polling results for a possible November 2024 ballot initiative for affordable housing.

7:00 PM: Updates and Announcements

  1. Caltrans has started construction on the I-80 Yolo Causeway between Sacramento and Davis. On Monday, Nov. 13, Caltrans is scheduled to release a draft EIR (Environmental Impact Report) for the larger project – Adding lanes to the causeway. Let’s discuss possible comments due next month.
  2. Climate Pollution Reduction Grants Plan, Nov. 9 joint meeting SACOG, SMUD, SMAQMD, SacRT boards: to secure $ billions for climate initiatives (like ZEV deployment). Pre-proposal due Feb. 1, 2024 to US EPA. (e.g.: forest biomass conversion to green hydrogen fuel and sequestered biochar)
  3. New ECOS contract with SacRT for Educational Outreach and Communication Support Services

Click here to view the agenda in PDF.

Join the Climate Emergency Mobilization Task Force at Upcoming Technical Advisory Panel Meetings

Greetings community members,

You are invited to join the Climate Emergency Mobilization Task Force (CEMTF) at their upcoming Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) meetings. Your valuable insights and ideas will help us shape Sacramento County’s Climate Emergency Response Plan (CERP) to address and adapt to climate change equitably.

The events are free and open to the public. Light refreshments and snacks will be provided. We will also have a limited number of compost pails and 4-quart sample bags of compost to give away!

If you cannot attend in person, you can join us via Zoom (See links below). Please note that there is no need to RSVP for this event. However, if you wish to inform us of your attendance for food headcount, feel free to send an email to ghazankhan2[at]gmail[dot]com with your name and organization (if applicable).

The sessions will be excellent opportunities to engage with the Task Force and have your voice heard. These meetings will center around Transportation, at the following dates and locations:

  • September 2, 2023, 12:30 p.m. – 3 p.m. at North Highlands-Antelope Library, 4235 Antelope Rd, Antelope, CA 95843 (Available via Zoom)
  • September 9, 2023, 9:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. at Elk Grove Library, 8900 Elk Grove Blvd, Elk Grove, CA 95624 (Available via Zoom)
  • September 9, 2023, 1:30 – 4 p.m. at Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, 7340 24th St Bypass, Sacramento, CA 95822 (Available via Zoom)
  • For more information about the CEMTF and our other upcoming meetings, please visit the Green Sacramento County Website.

We look forward to meeting you and hearing your valuable insights as we work together to create a more sustainable, equitable, and resilient Sacramento County.

Sincerely,

Timothy Irvine Chair of the Climate Emergency Mobilization Task Force

Sacramento County doesn’t postpone 2030 climate goal — for now

Kristin Lam | July 12, 2023 | Capital Public Radio

The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday didn’t postpone a carbon neutrality goal after dozens of climate activists pushed back against proposed changes.

County staff had recommended the board change the goal from 2030 to no later than 2045 in order to match state plans, make the timeline more achievable and reduce the risk of lawsuits.

Instead of approving or rejecting the suggested update, the board asked staff to present another version of the climate emergency declaration in late September or early October. In a 3-1 vote, with Supervisor Sue Frost abstaining, the board requested revisions including adding a requirement to measure progress on reducing emissions every five years.

Click here to read or listen to the full article.

Sacramento County Climate Emergency Resolution Update – Outcome

On July 11, 2023, the Sacramento County Planning and Environmental Review staff presented a recommendation to the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors to amend the Climate Emergency Resolution to be consistent with the State’s 2045 carbon neutrality goal.

You can watch a recording of the July 11 Sac County Board of Supervisors meeting here: https://agendanet.saccounty.gov/BoardOfSupervisors/Meetings/ViewMeeting?id=7961&doctype=1. The Climate Emergency Resolution Update presentation (Item 72) starts at 6 hours into the video.

Read a summary of the outcome by Capital Public Radio here: Sacramento County doesn’t postpone 2030 climate goal — for now.

Sacramento County Climate Emergency Resolution, BOS Item on 7/11

On July 11, 2023, the Sacramento County Planning and Environmental Review staff presented a recommendation to the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors to amend the Climate Emergency Resolution to be consistent with the State’s 2045 carbon neutrality goal.

You can watch a recording of the July 11, 2023 Sac County Board of Supervisors meeting here: https://agendanet.saccounty.gov/BoardOfSupervisors/Meetings/ViewMeeting?id=7961&doctype=1. The Climate Emergency Resolution Update presentation (Item 72) starts at 6 hours into the video.

Watch Live Online

The meeting is videotaped and cablecast live on Metrocable 14 on the Comcast, Consolidated Communications and AT&T U-Verse Systems. It is closed captioned and webcast live at http://metro14live.saccounty.gov. There will be a rebroadcast of this meeting on Friday at 6:00 p.m.

Give Comments

In-Person public comment

Speakers will be required to complete and submit a speaker request form to Clerk staff.  Each individual will be invited to the podium to make a comment.

Telephonic public comment

Dial (916) 875-2500 on the day of the meeting to make a comment. Follow the prompts for instructions and refer to the agenda and/or listen to the live meeting to determine when is the best time to call to be placed in queue for a specific agenda/off agenda item. Each caller will be transferred from the queue into the meeting to make a comment accordingly. Please be prepared for an extended waiting period.

Written public comment

Members of the public may send a written comment which is distributed to Board members and filed in the record. Contact information is optional and should include the meeting date and agenda/off agenda item number to be sent as follows:

Sacramento County Climate Emergency Resolution

The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors declared a climate emergency in December 2020 and adopted a climate emergency resolution that identified the County’s existing and future actions to reduce communitywide greenhouse gas emissions. The resolution specified several commitments and goals, including an ambitious goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030.

Sacramento County’s Sustainability Manager has been implementing the actions specified in the Climate Emergency Resolution over the last two years through coordination and collaboration with the Climate Emergency Mobilization Task Force, other jurisdictions in the Sacramento metropolitan area, and local organizations and interest groups. Planning and Environmental Review staff have continued refining the County’s Communitywide Climate Action Plan as a result of feedback received on multiple public draft versions.

The California Air Resources Board adopted the 2022 Climate Change Scoping Plan in late 2022, and Assembly Bill 1279 became law in September 2022. Both the Scoping Plan and AB 1279 establish a statewide goal of achieving carbon neutrality as soon as possible but no later than 2045.

On July 11, 2023, Planning and Environmental Review staff will present a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors to amend the Climate Emergency Resolution to be consistent with the State’s 2045 carbon neutrality goal. This recommendation does not change the actions of the Climate Emergency Mobilization Task Force or their timeline and commitment to working with the Sustainability Manager to prepare a Climate Emergency Response Plan. All County staff will continue to be ambitious and aggressive in reducing greenhouse gas emissions consistent with the Climate Emergency Resolution and Planning and Environmental Review staff will continue their diligent work to finalize the Communitywide Climate Action Plan.

More details on the status and next steps on the Communitywide Climate Action Plan will be available in mid-July.

Elemental: Reimagine Wildfire 5/31

The UC Davis Institute of the Environment, Environmental and Climate Justice Hub, Climate Adaptation Research Center, and Manetti Shrem Museum invite you to a very special presentation of a groundbreaking documentary urging us to rethink our relationship with wildfire.

Elemental: Reimagine Wildfire screening will start at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 31, at the Manetti Shrem Museum in the Community Education Room on the UC Davis campus. A panel discussion will follow the screening.

This event is free and everyone is welcome to attend. Light refreshments will be served.

With fire seasons growing more destructive and more deadly, we see that our approach to reducing wildfire risk is failing. The way we respond to this risk will have long-term effects on our communities and our forests.

Don’t miss a special screening of Elemental: Reimagine Wildfire, a film that invites you to reimagine your relationship with wildfire through the eyes of top scientists and indigenous fire managers who are leading the way toward living with this essential element.

The film starts at 4:30pm in Community Room at the Manetti Shrem Museum, and after the screening the filmmakers will be available for a Q&A discussion.

About Elemental: Reimagine Wildfire

In the wake of recent fires, Portland filmmakers Trip Jennings, Sara Quinn, and Ralph Bloemers took to the air and the ground to help communities make sense of wildfires in a hotter, drier, more crowded world. Elemental is the product of their journey across the United States and into fire affected communities.

Chief of the United States Forest Service Mike Dombeck (Ret.) remarks that “Elemental is an outstanding film that deserves the widest possible viewing. In a visually stunning manner, it distills what we’ve learned about wildland fire over the decades and provides a road-map for badly needed changes that will benefit thousands of people, particularly in fire prone communities.”

Produced and edited in Oregon, Narrated by David Oyelowo (Emmy & Golden Globe Nominee), supported by National Geographic and Patagonia.

Click here to register!