Implementation of AB 32 and California Local Governments

Local Governments Key to Success of California’s Ambitious Emissions Reductions Law

The role of and impact to local governments regarding AB 32 implementation was outlined in the draft “scoping plan” released by the California Air Resources Board on June 26, 2008. The long-awaited plan is a blueprint for how the law, which requires California to reduce emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, becomes reality after passage nearly two years ago. The ARB plan is available for download at www.arb.ca.gov. The draft will undergo additional evaluation and economic modeling and a public comment period leading up to Board review of the final draft in November. The series of proposals would become law in 2012, though some measures would take effect in 2010.

Questions or suggestions for ICLEI regarding AB 32 implementation should be directed to ab32@iclei.org.

The role of local governments: 

Recognizing the leadership by ICLEI members across California in achieving reductions at the local level, local governments are specifically called out in Recommended Strategy # 13 of the Plan (page 31) as one of several core strategies for achieving emissions the reduction targets of AB 32, and calls for the establishment of regional GHG reduction targets and development of action plans at both the local government and regional levels. Of the 17 recommended strategies put forward in the scoping plan, eight have been pioneered by leadership at the local level (specific examples included below):

• Energy Efficiency
• Renewable Energy
• Renewable Fuels
• Sustainable Forests
• Water
• Million Solar Roofs
• Local Targets & Regional Action Plans
• Recycling and Waste

How ICLEI is supporting local governments in California around AB 32 implementation*:

• Protocol: ICLEI together with the California Air Resources Board, the California Climate Action Registry, and The Climate Registry is developing the Local Governments Greenhouse Gas Emissions Analysis Protocol, which will establish the standard for measuring and quantifying their reductions. The Protocol is currently open for public comment, and will be finalized later this summer. 
• Discussion Forums: ICLEI will be holding an ongoing series of discussions on the AB 32 scoping plan with its California members throughout the summer, and will be announcing a series of local government regional roundtables to allow for fuller discussion of the AB 32 scoping plan and the role of local governments in early July.
• Planning Tool: Provide a new interactive planning tool (the Climate and Air Pollution Planning Assistant) to help identify the most effective strategies to achieve the GHG reduction goals established by AB 32, drawing upon the real world experience from the members of the ICLEI USA network.

*In addition to our ongoing support of the 120 ICLEI members in California working on emissions inventories, reduction targets, climate action plans and implementation through our Five Milestone Methodology.

Key Questions for Local Governments:

As this draft moves into the public comment stage, ICLEI will be facilitating discussions of these and other questions in the coming months. Local government representatives who would like to submit a question regarding the scoping plan can send an email to ab32@iclei.org. We’ll be compiling these questions and bringing them to discussions and forums in the coming months.

• State & Local Harmonization: How will the targets and measures called for under the scoping plan be harmonized with efforts by local governments, including recognition for leadership already underway at the local level? This is a critical issue for local governments across the United States as climate policy is advancing at the state and federal levels and another area where California has the opportunity to set an important precedent.
  
• Implementation Funding:  What programs and financial resources will be made available to local governments to support implementation efforts at the local level, recognizing that local government budgets are already under strain across the state?   Many local governments have conducted a GHG inventory, set a reduction target, and developed an action plan, but then have lacked the financial resources to fully implement the plan.  Much greater investment in local implementation must be central to a successful strategy to achieve the AB32 targets, particularly the longer term target to achieve 80% reductions by 2050.   Revenue from an auction of pollution credits under a cap and trade program should be prioritized to address this critical gap in implementation.
• Adaptation: What support and analysis will the state be providing to local governments to evaluate and address their resiliency to global warming and support key investments to adapt to the growing threat? Local governments are on the front lines of addressing the growing impacts of global warming, and should be examining their resiliency to climate impacts at the same time they are identifying strategies to reduce their GHG emissions.  Many ICLEI members have already begun to develop strategies to address their climate vulnerability, including Santa Cruz, California, which established a program to study ways to buffer the river levee and counter coastal erosion and remapping flood zones to deal with any climate-related sea level rise. 

Examples of local leadership in key areas:

Energy efficiency: The City of Santa Barbara, CA, took a historic step in 2007 by passing an ordinance to become the first city in the nation to adopt The 2030 Challenge for all buildings within the city limits.  The legislation seeks to reduce the fossil fuel standard for all new buildings in order to accomplish carbon neutrality by 2030. The ordinance will enact building regulations exceeding state standards for energy use by 20 percent for low-rise residential buildings, 15 percent for high-rise residential buildings and 10 percent for nonresidential buildings, among other measures.

Water:   Chula Vista’s Climate Change Working Group has recommended the city adopt green building standards throughout the city, a move that would surpass the state’s toughest regulations for energy efficiency. The green building standards are also designed to conserve water and include efforts to coordinate with Otay Water District, San Diego County Water Authority and the Sweetwater Authority to convert turf lawns to xeriscape.

Renewable Fuels:  Many local governments have sought to reduce local pollution by switching their municipal fleets to run on lower carbon fuels, such as biodiesel.  Portland, OR, has taken the additional step of defining sustainability criteria for biofuels to guide the city's fuels purchase.

The City of Pacifica, has partnered with the Livability Project to address local energy concerns by turning waste cooking oil and waste fuel into clean-burning biodiesel which will be used in standby diesel generators to offset peak electricity used to run the Calera Creek Waste Water Recycling plant, saving the city considerable monthly energy costs.  The City has designed bio-remediation processes that will scrub emissions from these generators.  The City will also use B20 in its fleet of diesel vehicles.

Recycling and Waste: Boulder, CO, just finished running a pilot curbside composting program which will go citywide later this year. During the pilot programs, waste diversion from participating households increased dramatically, demonstrating that the 65% – 75% diversion goal that has been established for residents is achievable. 

Sustainable Forestry:  Sacramento’s Sustainability Master Plan calls the City to plant 5 to 6 million trees in the region, which would increase the urban canopy coverage to 35 percent.

Renewable Energy:  Santa Monica, CA, offers professional energy teams who will visit a home or business and first implement energy conservation measures, then offer a set of standardized solar system designs developed with installers, which reduces costs.  The city works with banks to provide solar system financing.

Chula Vista is one of the first two cities in the State to take the legal steps to establish Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) status.  A CCA allows a municipality to use low interest municipal bonds to finance renewable energy projects.

Million Solar Roofs:  The City of Berkley is developing a program that would allow property owners to install solar systems (and, ultimately, energy efficiency projects) on their buildings and pay for the cost over 20 years through a voluntary annual special assessment on their property tax bills. Participants would pay only for the cost of their project (including interest) and fees to administer the program. The City would provide the funding for the project from a bond or loan fund that it repays through assessments on participating property owners’ tax bills.

Local Targets & Regional Action Plans:   Local governments have 
already begun to collaborate on a regional and county wide basis to address climate change on a collective basis.  ICLEI is currently supporting county wide efforts in Alameda, Marin, and Contra Costa County in the Bay Area, and Sacramento and Los Angeles County have 
recently begun county wide efforts.  

With an eye towards regional climate action planning, ICLEI is also working in tandem with local governments and regional bodies in and around the Silicon Valley in a coordinated effort to inventory greenhouse gas emissions. Twenty-five Silicon Valley cities from San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz counties have joined efforts to take inventories of their municipal greenhouse gas emissions this year, with the help of ICLEI’s CA Team.  This will put them on the same page so that as each jurisdiction works on its own local climate action plan, it will be easier to coordinate as a region to reduce their collective carbon footprint.