On January 31, 2024, ECOS submitted a letter to Todd Smith, Planning Director of Sacramento County Planning and Environmental Review, regarding the Notice of Preparation of a Subsequent Environmental Impact Report and Public Scoping Meeting for the Sacramento County Climate Action Plan.
ECOS offers two comments on the subject document, summarized below. Please see our letter for supporting information.
The Climate Action Plan (CAP) and SEIR should be complete, that is, they should show how carbon neutrality will be achieved in the County in whatever year the County believes is realistic.
We know that land use and transportation are the keys to GHG emissions reduction. Therefore, the CAP and SEIR should include alternatives or scenarios showing three levels and locations of development – mostly greenfield, some greenfield/some infill, and mostly infill – similar the SACOG’s three Pathways for our region that were discussed by the jurisdictions last summer.
On December 14, 2023, Sacramento County staff opened a comment period for its Notice of Preparation for a Subsequent Environmental Impact Report for the Climate Action Plan. A meeting was held to discuss the document on January 10, 2024, and comments are due Jan 31, 2024.
The Sacramento region could lose about $1 billion in state transportation funds in the coming years if it fails to develop a housing/transportation plan that reduces sprawl and increases housing within communities. Yet Sacramento County does not seem to care as it reflexively pushes for more sprawl.
An October opinion piece in the Bee states the Sacramento region has already approved more suburban projects than the region will need for the next generation.
“It is time for supervisors to think far more strategically about growth. They must acknowledge that there can only be so much growth and what growth is approved must happen in a way that minimizes congestion and maximizes affordable housing and transit opportunities. Otherwise, it simply doesn’t make sense for the Sacramento County of today. . .
According to the latest SACOG population projections, the entire six-county region is expected to grow by approximately 278,000 between now and 2050. But Sacramento County’s transportation staff is suggesting that nearly half of the region’s entire growth is about to happen in Supervisor Phil Serna’s district.”
Read more at: https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/article280893568.html#storylink=cpy
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
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.
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)
New ECOS contract with SacRT for Educational Outreach and Communication Support Services
“We think the annual Farm to Fork month, with so many people celebrating the locally grown food in the region, is a perfect time to highlight how important farms are to people and wildlife.” stated Heather Fargo, former Mayor of Sacramento and lead of the Natomas Campaign for the Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS).
ECOS is calling on the public to protect Natomas open space and embarking on a major campaign to educate the community about how important the Natomas farmlands and open space are to wildlife in our region and beyond. Natomas is a special place; it is a vital part of the Pacific Flyway and home to 22 protected species, in addition to providing food for our region and the world.
The Natomas Basin Habitat Conservation Plan was established in 1997 to ensure the basin’s natural resources are not lost with the growth of the Natomas community. Unfortunately, loss of these resources is likely to happen because of proposed residential and industrial development projects covering more than 8,200 acres of land intended to remain in agriculture.
The first of those projects is the Airport South Industrial Project, a 450-acre warehouse district proposed for land south of I-5 and adjacent to the West Lake neighborhood in North Natomas. If approved, it would put over 6 million square feet of warehouses on foraging habitat for the endangered Swainson’s Hawk.
“ECOS wants Sacramento to remember the value of open space and farmland as a way to support wildlife and combat climate change. We Sacramentans have a role in protecting one of the Earth’s biodiversity hotspots,” said Fargo.
A new message is on display on a digital billboard along I-5 in downtown Sacramento. It has a simple message – save Sacramento’s wildlife habitat and farmland.
Targeted to those who enjoy the local dining experience offered in the city, it simply says, ““There’s no Farm to Fork without farms” and “Natomas farmlands feed people and wildlife”.
The billboard is timed to coincide with the annual Farm to Fork Festival that includes the Tower Bridge dinner and the street festival on Capital Mall on Sept 22-23.
The billboard kicks off a major new campaign by ECOS, continuing its 50 years of efforts to protect the environment.
“The establishment of the Natomas Basin Habitat Conservation Plan was important for regional sustainability thirty years ago. Now with climate change, it is essential that we stop sprawl and protect biodiversity in this area. The NBHCP provided for development on 17, 500 acres, and the proposed projects are outside of that,” said Susan Herre AIA AICP, President of the ECOS Board of Directors. ECOS is partnering with Sierra Club, Habitat 2020, Audubon Society, Friends of the Swainson’s Hawk and California Native Plant Society.
Map of the Natomas Basin The proposed projects are in red and are labelled.
The ECOS Mission: Our mission is to achieve regional sustainability, livable communities, environmental justice, and a healthy environment and economy for existing and future residents. ECOS strives to bring positive change to the Sacramento region by proactively working with the individual and organizational members of ECOS, neighborhood groups, and local and regional governments.
