The Inflation Reduction Act

From the Citizens’ Climate Lobby Sacramento Chapter, July 29, 2022:

Fellow Climate Advocates –

Again, there is a climate bill in Congress – The Energy Security and Climate Change Investments in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 – the Inflation Reduction Act for short.

We have waited a long time for a climate bill and endured several false starts in the past year. This bill is not perfect, but it has many good things in it for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Passage by August 6, 2022 is critical before the Congressional August Recess and before campaign season ramps up.

The bill includes– a fee on methane – one of the worst greenhouse gases. It would put about $385 billion into combating climate change and bolstering U.S. energy production through changes that would encourage nearly the whole economy to cut carbon emissions. It is the most significant investment in climate action the US has ever taken. And, it could be our last chance for several years to pass strong climate legislation.

The Washington Post has an excellent analysis of the bill. Note the column on the right of the article which allows you to skip to the topics that interest you. https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2022/07/28/manchin-schumer-climate-deal/

Please take action. Write your Senators and member of the House. Tell them to pass this bill. Ask your friends with Democratic Senators to do the same – particularly if they live in Arizona!

For those of you who are focused on the County CAP and City CAAP – there is funding for that affects us locally: $260 billion in clean-energy tax credits, $80 billion in rebates for EVs, new and used (tied to annual income), and $20 billion for agriculture subsidies to help farmers reduce emissions.

Take Action – Call or write your Senators and member of the House today. The vote could be next week. Go here to a CCL website that helps you with a script, FAQs and can identify your senator and member of the House of Representative for you: https://citizensclimatelobby.org/get-loud-take-action/

You can also google them and write through their government emails.

Possible text – feel free to customize and say why you are passionate about climate change.

I’m a constituent and a voter. I’m writing to urge you to support and vote for the Inflation Reduction Act that — when enacted — will make historic investments in clean energy and will finally put America on the path to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in line with America’s Paris commitment. The quality of life of my children and grandchildren, and yours – depend on it.

PS. Do not allow the Perfect to be the Enemy of the Good. Yes, there is a gift in the bill to the fossil fuel industry. BUT – The bill that can pass is the best one. And we are out of time. Out of time in Congress. Out of time in California. Out of time on Earth.

Write today and call on Monday. Thank you.

Edith Thacher

Chapter Lead, Citizens’ Climate Lobby Sacramento/Roseville

Release of Preliminary Public Review Draft of the Sacramento Climate Action Plan

From the City of Sacramento:

The Community Development Department is pleased to announce the release of the preliminary public review draft of the Climate Action Plan (CAP) on July 1, 2022.

This document will be circulated for a 30-day period, several months ahead of the release of the full Draft Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, Draft 2040 General Plan and Draft Master Environmental Impact Report this fall, which will be circulated for 45 days. This approach will allow the community to have advanced review and provide comments on the draft measures to reduce the City’s greenhouse gas emissions. The document is posted on the project webpage and can be found directly here.

Following release of the preliminary public review draft Climate Action Plan, the Sacramento City Council will hold a workshop to discuss additional potential actions that can be taken to achieve carbon neutrality in advance of the CAP’s target date of 2045. This City Council workshop is scheduled for August 16, 2022.

Submit comments on the preliminary draft Climate Action Plan (from July 1 to July 30).

Contact staff
Email: cap[at]cityofsacramento[dot]org
Sign up to receive updates from the Office of Climate Action and Sustainability
Sign up to receive updates on the Sacramento 2040 General Plan and Climate Action Plan

You’re Invited: CARB Scoping Plan Mobilization in Sacramento 6/23

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) just released its draft 2022 Scoping Plan, a blueprint for California’s climate policy for the next 20 years. The draft plan is a huge step backward for California, doubling down on fossil fuel infrastructure at a time when we need to be phasing out fossil fuels. CARB are planning for a massive expansion of dirty gas-fired power plants and paving the way for billions in public subsidies for risky, ineffective carbon capture and storage machinery that extends the life of oil refineries.

On June 23 at 9am, CARB will be meeting to discuss this year’s Scoping Plan. We need a strong showing of community support to show CARB that Californians are standing up for clean air, clean and reliable transportation for all, and a future beyond oil and gas.

At the rally, speakers from the California Environmental Justice Alliance and Regenerate California will be calling for the following demands to be in the Scoping Plan:

No Fossil Fuels: Phase Out Oil Drilling and Refining
Clean Our Power Sector: No New Gas Plants
Clean, healthy transportation for all
Electrify all buildings
No Climate Dead Ends – Stop Over-Relying on CCS and Hydrogen

Use the form on this page to sign up and we’ll follow up instructions on how to join!

Can’t make it in-person on June 23rd? Sign up for more action-taking opportunities and to watch the rally virtually.

Q&A with Alberto Ayala, Director of Sacramento’s Air Quality District, SacTown Magazine, June 4, 2022

Alberto Ayala discusses “the growing threat of wildfire smoke, the urgent need to move away from fossil fuel engines, the “scary” results from a new study about the impact of air pollution on our brain health, and why we need to rethink transportation as we plan for a better post-pandemic world.”

On transportation:

“I wrote an essay five years ago, in which I pointed out that of the 40 biggest cities in the country, Sacramento and Las Vegas were the only two without any protected bike lanes and with no imminent plans to build them, whereas cities like New York, San Francisco and Chicago were racing to build hundreds of miles of protected bike lanes. And now five years later, we’re not much better off. And for reasons I don’t completely understand, the city just has not made that a priority when clearly, active transportation like biking and walking is going to be one of the ways that we move toward cleaner air. . . [and] where is the investment in transit? And how are we helping our public transit be the innovative transit of the future where you actually meet the needs of transportation for people?”

On the difference between ozone pollution and particle pollution:

“In Sacramento, like most urban regions, the most chronically difficult pollution problem is ozone pollution, not so much particle pollution, but clearly wildfires are changing that. Particle pollution is the smoke that you see from something like a wildfire, or the soot that comes out of a diesel truck. That black smoke is essentially a collection of these particles that come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Ozone pollution, in contrast, is the result of nitrogen oxide and volatile organic emissions often from the combustion of fossil fuels—fuel that burns in an internal combustion engine like in a gasoline car. In the presence of sunlight, they basically cook up in the atmosphere, and then they lead to ozone, also known as smog. So the difference is here we’re talking about gases, not particles.”

Click here to read the full article.

Sacramento’s Air Quality: A Passing Grade, Alberto Ayala LTE SacBee, May 22, 2022

Post: Sacramento Bee, Letters to the Editor, May 22, 2022

AQI PASSING GRADE

RE: “Sacramento among California cities with filthiest air in the US, new study says. What to know,” (sacbee.com, April 22)

The American Lung Association’s “State of the Air 2022” report does not specify that extreme but short-term impacts from wildfires cause high readings, resulting in a misleading picture of Sacramento’s air quality. Air quality and public health are absolutely impacted by wildfires, but to assign an “F” grade without naming the reason unnecessarily undermines public confidence and denies true progress tackling air and climate pollution. Thanks to innovative initiatives by the Sac Metro Air District and our regional partners and stringent rules and regulations, air quality in Sacramento (minus wildfires) has improved significantly over the past several decades and will continue to improve. Our region has made great strides in moving toward meeting strict health-based ambient air quality standards. That is no small feat for the public and private sectors and certainly worth a passing grade.

Dr. Alberto Ayala, Sacramento

https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article261627617.html#storylink=cpy

Sacramento and smog: Your role in it, health risks and why it’s worse in the summer

By Brianna Taylor | May 9, 2022 | The Sacramento Bee

The list of health risks associated with ground-level ozone is a long one.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ground-level ozone is linked to diminished lung function, causing more hospital admissions and emergency room visits, and an increase in premature deaths. “The problem with ground-level ozone is that it causes inflammation in our airways, our trachea, in our sinuses and in our lungs,” Easter said. “The lung issue is probably the biggest of the issues because that affects our breathing and causes asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory impairments.”