2024

Wednesday, September 25, 2024
6:00 pm Featured Presentation by Kathleen Ave of SMUD
7:00 pm ECOS Board Meeting

Kathleen Ave
Sr. Climate & Ecosystem Strategist, Zero Carbon Energy Solutions
Emeritus Chair, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) Power in Pollinators Initiative

Kathleen Ave will provide an overview of SMUD’s activities, then launch into a discussion of SMUD’s Carbon and Biodiversity programs. She will share existing and emerging efforts to improve biodiversity at SMUD projects, facilities and along transmission lines, and will discuss a conceptual plan for a Regional Biodiversity Index.

Click here to view the agenda.

Link to join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6656164155
To phone in: 669-900-6833, Meeting ID: 665 616 4155

Coyote Creek Agrivoltaic Ranch Project

On February 17, 2022, the Environmental Council of Sacramento, Habitat 2020, the Sacramento Group of the Sierra Club, and Sacramento Audubon offered the comments with respect to the preparation of the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the Coyote Creek Agrivoltaic Ranch Project.

Below is an excerpt.

Our concern is that Blue Oak Woodland is an imperiled habitat in California, and it was recently highlighted as such in the draft “Pathways to 30 x 30” document. Such an important and imperiled habitat would not have necessarily been a top pick for constructing such a facility if the habitat values involved had been considered in the context of other potential locations in our region. We acknowledge that there are limited options for the placement of such a facility, but we are not aware of a comprehensive analysis and compendium of suitable locations for solar farms prepared by SMUD for the region, so there is no resource to compare and contrast the Coyote Creek project.

Click here to read the letter in full.

On February 21, 2022, the Environmental Council of Sacramento, Habitat 2020, the Sacramento Group of the Sierra Club, and Sacramento Audubon sent an addendum to our previously sent Coyote Creek Agrivoltaic Solar Project NOP comment letter.

Click here to read the addendum letter.

Joint letter to SMUD re Sac County Climate Action Plan

This Jan. 24, 2022 letter from the Environmental Council of Sacramento, Sierra Club Sacramento Group, and 350 Sacramento, regarding the Sacramento County Climate Action Plan (CAP) requests that SMUD verify some of the SMUD-related information in the CAP, and also consider helping to increase standardization of CAP processes across the state.

Click here to read the letter.

Photo by Vincent M.A. Janssen from Pexels

SMUD Roseville Water Transfer comments

On September 10, 2019, the Environmental Council of Sacramento and Habitat 2020 sent a letter to Sacramento Metropolitan Utilities District (SMUD) a letter regarding a proposed water transfer between the City of Roseville and SMUD. Below are some excerpts from the letter, followed by a link to the letter in full.

Recently the Environmental Council of Sacramento and Habitat 2020 became aware of the pending temporary water transfer between the City of Roseville and SMUD. Our review of the environmental assessment and decision document prepared by the Bureau of Reclamation found specific deficiencies in the analysis and a casual dismissal of the transfer’s cumulative significance. We believe that the proposed transfer of water does not contain the necessary safeguards to protect Lower American River fisheries. We request that the SMUD Board direct its staff to include provisions in the contract that will address these concerns.
…
We believe the transfers must be governed by the standards and requirements contained in the Modified Flow Management Standard. These standards and requirements would much better ensure that the transfer would not negatively impact the American River flow and temperature standards.

Click here to read the full letter.

Photo by George Nyberg of the American River

SMUD Demonstrates Power of Clean Energy at Sacramento Earth Day

May 23, 2019

Hundreds of community members attended the Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS) [Sacramento] Earth Day event to enjoy food and outdoor activities. This year the eco-friendly affair was powered without the added noise and pollution of …[bio]…diesel generators. Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) provided clean power to concessions and electric vehicle (EV) charging using branded FreeWire Mobi® Gen and Mobi EV Chargers. In one day SMUD delivered 47 kWh of clean energy and reduced CO2 emissions by 61 kilograms by replacing a 25 kW biodiesel generator with mobile, battery-integrated products.
Attendees reported a noticeable difference. Food vendors and their customers noted the lack of noise and air pollution…

Read this post in full and watch the cool video they created at Sacramento Earth Day 2019 by clicking here!