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Home My WebLink AboutCM Greenhouse Gas Reduction Update411� SAN RAFAEL Agenda Item No: 5_b THE CITY WITH A MISSION Meeting Date: November 21, 2016 SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT Department: CITY MANAGER Prepared by: Cory Bytof, City Manager Approval: Sustainability & Volunteer Program Coordinator TOPIC: ANNUAL GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION UPDATE SUBJECT: RECEIVE AND ACCEPT SAN RAFAEL GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION STRATEGY REPORT RECOMMENDATION: Accept the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy Annual Report for 2014 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reduction Strategy Annual Report for 2014 shows an overall reduction of approximately 16% since 2005, including an approximate 5% reduction between 2013 and 2014. This report for 2014 covers activities and data for the calendar year, which is the most current year where the data is readily available. If emissions reductions continue at the current rate, the City should be able to accomplish its interim goal of a 25% reduction in GHG emissions by 2020. BACKGROUND: Climate change has become one of the most significant issues of our time. The Paulson Institute estimates that by the middle of this century, the average American will likely see two to three times the average annual number of 95°F days than we've seen over the past 30 years. If we continue on our current path, over $66 billion worth of existing coastal property will likely be below sea level nationwide — at least $8 billion in California alone. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) data indicates that 2016 is on target to meet or beat 2015 as the hottest vear on record, after 16 straight months of record-setting hot months. A Columbia University study just released in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences claims that human -induced climate change has doubled the area affected by forest fires in the U.S. West over the last 30 years, causing fires to spread an additional 16,000 square miles — an area larger than the states of Massachusetts and Connecticut combined. The City of San Rafael has committed to doing its part since Mayor Al Boro signed the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement in 2006. FOR CITY CLERK ONLY File No.: 13-1 Council Meeting: 11/21/2016 Disposition: Accepted report SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT / Page: 2 The report focuses on actions the City of San Rafael has taken to achieve our target GHG reductions for 2020, and gives a snapshot of our actual community -wide GHG emissions. It does not give a detailed report of our City operations and facilities, which are done every five years when full GHG inventories are conducted. The next comprehensive GHG inventory is slated to be initiated in 2017 when data becomes available for the 2015 calendar year. State Targets The State of California has responded to growing concerns over the effects of climate change by adopting a comprehensive approach to addressing emissions in the public and private sectors. This approach was officially initiated with the passage of the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32), which requires the state to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. The AB 32 Scoping Plan was developed to identify strategies for meeting the AB 32 goal, and was adopted by the California Air Resources Board in December 2008. Among many other strategies, it encourages local governments to reduce emissions in their jurisdictions by 15 percent below current (2008) levels by 2020, and discussed longer-term goals established by Executive Order S-3-05 to reduce emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. This year, the State Legislature passed SB 32, which set interim targets of 40% reductions below 1990 levels by 2030. City Actions And Plans A snapshot of activities the City has undertaken to codify our goals and targets related to the State's actions follows: 2006 Mayor Al Boro signed U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement 2008 City developed first GHG inventory for 2005 calendar year 2009 City adopted Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP), formally setting GHG reduction targets and identifying implementation strategies to achieve them 2011 City incorporates CCAP into General Plan as Sustainability Element 2011 City develops GHG Reduction Strategy with tracking mechanisms, which is subsequently approved by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District 2013 City completes 2010 GHG inventory & 2011 GHG Reduction Strategy Annual Report 2015 City completes 2012 and 2013 GHG Reduction Strategy Annual Reports San Rafael's Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP) and GHG Reduction Strategy include a 15% reduction from implementing CCAP programs and an additional 10% "stretch" reduction by 2020 from cumulative federal, state, regional and community actions. Qualified GHG Reduction Strategv The GHG Reduction Strategy meets both the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) guidance and expectations for a qualified Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy. It commits the City to track implementation measures and emissions reductions while providing a valuable streamlining tool for reviewing new development and building projects. It allows applicants to demonstrate that they comply with Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy measures through utilization of a compliance checklist, saving time and cost for contractors and staff, while ensuring that GHG emissions reduction activities are included in projects. During this time frame, two projects were able to utilize this compliance checklist. San Rafael is currently the only local jurisdiction in Marin County with a Qualified Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy. SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT / Page: 3 ANALYSIS: This 2014 Report provides the City Council with an overview of community -wide emissions as well as status of City actions accomplished in that same year related to our CCAP. This is the third report issued for the GHG Reduction Strategy, and covers calendar year 2014. Complete 2015 data will not be available from utilities and other sources until 2017. The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy Annual Report for 2014 maintains our CEQA streamlining tool for development projects, and is meant to update the Council on San Rafael's implementation actions related to the CCAP. The City of San Rafael is now partnering with the Marin Climate and Energy Partnership (MCEP) for conducting the inventory and developing the report. MCEP is a coalition of local governments and public utilities working together to develop inventories, climate actions plans, and implement major activities in our climate action plans. In this way MCEP and all the member jurisdictions can achieve economies of scale and leverage resources in order to implement our programs efficiently. This year, the City offered MCEP the use of the GHG Reduction Strategy tool so that all cities and towns in Marin could utilize it to do annual inventories. MCEP will be publishing all the results of the 2015 data at MarinTracker.ora in the coming months. Currently the public can view the percentage differences in GHG emissions in each jurisdiction in Marin County from 2005 to 2012. Members of our community can easily access this data using an interactive map. 2014 GHG Reduction Strategv Report Results The 2014 Report provides broad category, best -estimate community -wide emissions data for the years 2005-2014 based on publicly available data. Four major emissions sectors are separated in the report: Electricity, Natural Gas, Transportation, and Waste. This data shows an overall reduction of approximately 16% since 2005, including an approximate 5% reduction between 2013 and 2014. This report only deals with community emissions since BAAQMD has primarily focused on reducing community emissions. City operations and facilities amount to less than 2% of our overall community emissions and are typically done every five years as part of the comprehensive GHG inventory. The Report also identifies areas of implementation the City accomplished or initiated in 2014. Following are a sampling of programs and policies the City undertook to reduce GHG emissions: • Continued design and operational work for SMART Rail planning • Adopted a standard application form for solar PV for qualifying projects under 10kW • Completing additional LED/high-efficiency streetlight and traffic light conversions • Adopted CALGreen building codes, including mandatory Tier 1 for new commercial and residential construction • Added additional electric vehicle charging stations at City parking lots • Conducted a refuse rate structure & zero waste analysis and commercial / multi -family recycling outreach with Marin Sanitary Service • Hired interns and the Downtown Streets Team to assist with recycling and composting efforts in City departments and in the community • Supported residential and commercial outreach programs such as Resilient Neighborhoods, Home Upgrade California, Smart Lights, the Chamber Green Business Committee, the Electric Vehicle Working Group, and Marin School of Environmental Leadership, among others The City and its stakeholders have made significant progress towards implementation of its CCAP, and SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT / Page: 4 has a strong commitment toward continuing to implement policies and programs. The designation of a City Council Sustainability Liaison and annual adoption of Work Plan Priorities, as well as the Council's decision to have staff dedicated to sustainability, demonstrates that commitment. In addition, City management and staff across all departments have embraced a sustainability ethos and provide staff time and resources toward accomplishing our sustainability goals. If emissions reductions continue at the current rate, the City should be able to accomplish its interim goal of a 25% reduction in GHG emissions by 2020. However, some of the emissions reductions may be related to economic conditions and changes in the economy could slow the rate of reductions and require further actions to keep on track. In addition, in order to meet the our CCAP targets of 80% reductions by 2050, San Rafael will need to continue to innovate and be at the forefront of local GHG reduction strategies. COMMUNITY OUTREACH: San Rafael made the commitment to community engagement with our Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP) when it was adopted. Since then the City has hosted quarterly CCAP implementation forums that regularly attract twenty to thirty community members from various backgrounds. Our consultant gave a presentation on this Report at the most recent CCAP forum on Thursday, October 20, 2016. Should Council accept this report it will be posted to the City web site and Green Initiatives social media platforms. FISCAL IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact associated with reviewing and accepting this informational report. The consultant costs for preparing the updated strategy were provided by the Marin Climate and Energy Partnership, of which the City has been a member of since its inception in 2007. ATTACHMENTS: Attachment A: Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Strategy 2014 Annual Report San Rafael Climate Change Action Plan Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Strategy 2014 Annual Report This annual report has been prepared to support the City's continued use of the Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP) as a qualified greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction strategy, as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act and supported by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District's (BAAQMD) GHG Plan Level Guidance. Background In 2011, the City completed an update to the CCAP to allow the City to utilize it as a qualified GHG reduction strategy pursuant to section 15183.5 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines. Once adopted, a qualified GHG reduction strategy may be used in the cumulative impacts analysis of later projects such as development or infrastructure projects, thereby sparing them the time and expense of developing project -specific GHG emissions analyses and required mitigation measures. The City routinely evaluates all projects seeking a planning approval for compliance with the City's CCAP. In 2014, the City utilized the GHG emissions reduction strategy in reviewing and taking action on two projects that would have typically required the preparation of individual GHG assessments. These projects were verified for compliance with this strategy utilizing a compliance checklist. Projects benefiting from the use of the compliance checklist included: 21 G Street (8 unit residential development) and 1700 4th Street (G2 mixed use development, 10 residential units above ground floor retail). 1 Approximately 45 other smaller projects were approved without the use of the verification checklist as the use and improvements involved in these projects would not result in additional GHG emissions above the current baseline. No large projects were processed during this period which required the preparation of an individual GHG assessment. As part of the 2011 CCAP update, the City committed to preparing an annual assessment of the City's GHG emissions, progress toward achieving the local and state -recommended GHG reduction targets, and status of state and local policies implemented to reduce GHG emissions. This report was developed in conjunction with the Marin Climate and Energy Partnership, and fulfills the City's monitoring and reporting policies included in the CCAP. San Rafael Climate Change Action Plan 2014 Annual Report Annual Monitoring and Reporting 2 The City utilizes a Microsoft Excel -based monitoring and reporting tool that integrates the 2005 and 2010 baseline emissions inventories, GHG emissions forecast, and reduction measures to facilitate the preparation of annual assessments. The implementation and monitoring tool identifies key metrics the City needs to track on an annual basis, and it provides a template to summarize the City's annual emissions and reduction measure implementation progress. In 2014, San Rafael's community emissions decreased approximately 16% below 2005 emissions levels. The largest percent decreases in emissions since 2005 came from the construction equipment (-34%) and waste disposal (-33%) sectors, while the largest overall decrease in emissions came from the residential energy (-22,850 MTCO2e) and non-residential energy (-21,820 MTCO2e) sectors. The likely reasons for these emissions decreases are described in further detail in the remainder of this report. 2014 GHG Emissions Assessment I 89,920 lip 90,890 QW172,5501F'12,970�lw 2,980IF' 2,420_11W 2,320 374,060�� - 91,200 87,100 179,620 13,750 I 2,960 2,420 2,220 379,270 _ I 98,640 103,750 179,570 12,590 2,990 2,420 2,110 402,080 98,610 100,030 174,420 10,790 3,000 2,420 2,000 391,270 15% .200W 95,180 89,950 168,780 9,090 2,720 2,420 1,890 370,020 -1% 2010 87,620 76,720 170,980 8,600 2,560 2,420 1,780 350,680 -6% 2011 87,160 75,440 161,640 8,340 2,550 2,440 1,730 339,310 -9% 2012 83,650 75,770 167,130 8,690 2,630 2,470 1,680 342,030 -9% 2013 79,900 74,820 163,990 8,950 2,690 2,490 1,620 334,470 -11% 2014 67,070 69,070 163,660 8,690 2,460 2,530 1,540 315,020 -16% Change from 2005 -22,850 -21,820 -8,890 -4,280 -520 110 -780 -59,040 % Change from 2005 -25% -24% -5% -33% -17% 4% -34% -16% Note: Historic GHG emissions are revised to reflect updated source data and emission factors. In 2014, this included updated historic direct access electricity estimates, and updated historic transportation emission factors utilizing EMFAC 2014. San Rafael Climate Change Action Plan 2014 Annual Report Overall GHG Emissions Progress towards the 2020 Target 3 The City's emissions in 2014 were 16% lower than the 2005 baseline year, which means the City has met the State -recommended GHG reduction target of 15% below baseline by 2020. The City will continue to work toward exceeding the State -recommended reduction target and achieving the City's adopted target of 25% below baseline levels by 2020. This will require an additional reduction of 34,480 metric tons COZe. By conducting annual monitoring and reporting the City can regularly assess progress towards both targets, and adjust programs and policies to ensure the City's CCAP can continue to serve as a qualified GHG reduction strategy. 420,000 400,000 380,000 L 360,000 v O 340,000 U H 320,000 300,000 2005 Baseline Levels (Constant) Business -As -Usual Projection* State -Recommended 315,020 Reduction Target 280,000 � ■ m m m m m m m m m m ■ — ■ — City Reduction Target 260,000 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Year * The Business as Usual Projection looks at how emissions are likely to grow between the years 2010 and 2020 if additional efforts to reduce emissions are not implemented. San Rafael Climate Change Action Plan 2014 Annual Report Major Emissions Sources The following sections provide a year -by -year analysis of the changes in GHG emissions from the City's largest sources: electricity, natural gas, transportation, and waste. Whenever possible, each section discussion includes the change in emissions from previous years, the likely influence of state and local programs or policies on reducing emissions, and progress toward target achievement based on each sector's contribution to the overall GHG reduction target. Electricity Use Activity and GHG Emissions Electricity related greenhouse gas emissions in the residential and non-residential sectors decreased from 64,750 MTCOZe to 59,380 MTCOZe between 2013 and 2014. This 8% decrease in emissions was partially due to a 2% decrease in the amount of electricity used, from 348 million kWh in 2013 to 340 million kWh in 2014. The decrease in emissions from the electricity sector is also a result of the lower carbon content of Marin Clean Energy (MCE) electricity. MCE's electricity was 11% less carbon intensive in 2014 than it was in 2013. MCE provides approximately two-thirds of the electricity used in San Rafael. Efforts to improve energy efficiency (both electricity and natural gas use) in the community in 2014 included: • Adopting a standard application form specific to solar PV for qualifying projects under 10kW • Completing additional LED/high-efficiency streetlight and traffic light conversions 4 • Qualifying as an EPA Green Power Community by having more than 20% of electricity come from renewable sources • Supporting the Resilient Neighborhoods program • Support and promotion of Home Upgrade California, Smart Lights, and Chamber Green Business programs Annual Electricity Emissions and Target, 2005-2020 0 0 120,000 0 — m oo o 0 80,000 Ln '� o O 74,120 N — � 0 U F- 2 40,000 48,970 M Ln WI, W M O c4 N M � M W n W M O O O O O O c1 c -I c -I c4 c -I c4 c4 c4 c4 H N OO O O O O O O O O O O O O O O N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N Actual Electricity GHG Emissions Forecasted Electricity GHG Emissions Target Emissions Level San Rafael Climate Change Action Plan 2014 Annual Report Natural Gas Use Activity and GHG Emissions Natural gas is used in residential and commercial activities to provide space heating and to power equipment. Use of natural gas is highly variable depending on the weather conditions in a given year. This variability has led natural gas use consumption to fluctuate from year to year, from a low of 14.3 million therms in 2014 to a high of 18.1 million therms in 2011. Emissions from natural gas consumption fell 15% between 2013 and 2014, most likely due to a warmer year than usual. Annual Natural Gas Emissions and Target, 2005-2020 120,000 - o o� 00 o Ln N � O 01 a) 80,000 - N 0 U H 2 40,000 0 0 97,930 95,010 In �O r, W M O-4 N m -z4- Ln -.q r, w m o O O O O O -4 rI c -I -4 -4 -4 c -I c -I -4 -4 N O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N Actual Natural Gas GHG Emissions Forecasted Natural Gas GHG Emissions Target Emissions Level 5 Natural gas presents fewer opportunities to decrease associated emissions and therefore the target GHG emissions from this sector are less aggressive than other sectors. Transportation Activity and GHG Emissions Transportation activities accounted for approximately 46% of the City's emissions in 2005. Emissions from transportation peaked in 2007 at 172,620 MTCOZe and have slowly but steadily declined, hitting a low of 163,660 MTCO2e in 2014. Decreased emissions in the transportation sector are due to a combination of more fuel efficient and alternatively fueled cars and a reduction in the amount of vehicle miles traveled. The California clean car fuel standards and regular turnover of the vehicle fleet have resulted in a 3% decrease in average emissions generated, from 1.05 pounds per mile in 2005 to 1.01 pounds per mile in 2014. Vehicle miles travelled dropped about 2% since 2005, but have rebounded since hitting a low point in 2012. While it is difficult to pinpoint exactly how each land use and transportation policy affects emissions, the City has undertaken many efforts to reduce emissions from transportation. These recent efforts included: • Continued design and operation work for SMART Rail planning 0 o G ooo 0 rn N 0 O c -j N Ol ti cr o 0 97,930 95,010 In �O r, W M O-4 N m -z4- Ln -.q r, w m o O O O O O -4 rI c -I -4 -4 -4 c -I c -I -4 -4 N O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N Actual Natural Gas GHG Emissions Forecasted Natural Gas GHG Emissions Target Emissions Level 5 Natural gas presents fewer opportunities to decrease associated emissions and therefore the target GHG emissions from this sector are less aggressive than other sectors. Transportation Activity and GHG Emissions Transportation activities accounted for approximately 46% of the City's emissions in 2005. Emissions from transportation peaked in 2007 at 172,620 MTCOZe and have slowly but steadily declined, hitting a low of 163,660 MTCO2e in 2014. Decreased emissions in the transportation sector are due to a combination of more fuel efficient and alternatively fueled cars and a reduction in the amount of vehicle miles traveled. The California clean car fuel standards and regular turnover of the vehicle fleet have resulted in a 3% decrease in average emissions generated, from 1.05 pounds per mile in 2005 to 1.01 pounds per mile in 2014. Vehicle miles travelled dropped about 2% since 2005, but have rebounded since hitting a low point in 2012. While it is difficult to pinpoint exactly how each land use and transportation policy affects emissions, the City has undertaken many efforts to reduce emissions from transportation. These recent efforts included: • Continued design and operation work for SMART Rail planning San Rafael Climate Change Action Plan 2014 Annual Report • Adopting CALGreen building codes, including mandatory Tier 1 for new commercial and residential construction • Continuing the employee commute pilot program • Adding additional electric vehicle charging stations at City parking lots • Replacing nine gas -only fleet vehicles with hybrids • Continuing to implement the Bicycle Pedestrian Master Plan • Promoting Bike to Work Day in the community Annual Transportation Emissions and Target, 2005-2020 200,000 � Dj �, q f' g, 7 a M Q n m v oo 0 r, m m ti ti ti ti 150,000 - 100,000 - 50,000 - Ek 0- V1 l0 I, M M O -1 N M :I* Ln l0 I, M M O O O O O O N O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N Total Transportation GHG Emissions Forecasted Transportation GHG Emissions Target Emissions Level 167,860 150,490 M Waste Disposal Activity and Emissions Waste disposal and associated GHG emissions in the community declined 36% between 2005 and 2011, but have since rebounded slightly due to the strong local economy. Emissions from waste disposal decreased 3% between 2013 and 2014, but are still 4% above the lows set in 2011. The associated decrease in emissions from waste disposal is a result of the community's and County's goals to move toward Zero Waste by 2025 as well as the following efforts accomplished in 2014: • Conducted commercial / multi -family recycling outreach • Conducted a refuse rate structure & zero waste analysis • Utilized Zero Waste grants to purchase public recycling containers downtown and at City facilities • Hired interns to assist with Zero Waste efforts in City departments and in the community • Hired the Downtown Streets Team to implement recycling and composting at the Downtown Farmers' Market Festival • Began ordering 100% recycled content paper for City operations • Began composting at City Hall, including paper towels in bathrooms • Developed a Waste -Wise Business Spotlight case study promotion for local businesses • Continued to implement the Paint Care program San Rafael Climate Change Action Plan 2014 Annual Report 7 Annual Waste Emissions and Target, 2005-2020 • Supported a robust City Employee Green Team and 15,000 j, Employee Commute Committee ro • Utilized City Manager's Snapshot, social media, and press to a, promote sustainability efforts 0 10,000 o r- Completed Green Business Certification of City Hall N oo 06 oo 00 06 8,900 • Supported and promoted local green festivals, lectures, 7,550 workshops and activities 2 • Participated in and supported the Marin Climate and Energy 5,000 Partnership, Chamber Green Committee, Electric Vehicle Working Group, and Marin School of Environmental Leadership, among others o • Participated in county -wide adaptation planning processes Ln l0 r, oo m O ci N rn tY Ln to r� oo m O O O O O O -1 -1 -1 -1 c -I -1 -1 r4 -1 -1 N O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N Total Waste GHG Emissions Forecasted Waste GHG Emissions Target Emissions Level Additional Efforts and Priorities In addition to the programs and actions described above, the City pursued a range of outreach activities and participated in several multi -agency efforts, including: • Hosted quarterly CCAP implementation meetings with the public While San Rafael has made significant progress in reducing GHG emissions since 2005, the City will need to continue to implement policies and programs that further reduce emissions to achieve the City's 2020 GHG reduction target. The City Council's Liaison to Sustainability continued the practice of setting annual priorities from the GHG Reduction Strategy to implement in 2015. These priorities for 2015 included actions from all four of the major sectors listed above. Continuing to implement GHG reduction measures and regularly reporting on the City's progress will ensure that the City's CCAP can continue to serve as a qualified GHG reduction strategy and provide streamlining opportunities for new projects in San Rafael. ROUTING SLIP / APPROVAL FORM INSTRUCTIONS: Use this cover sheet with each submittal of a staff report before approval by the City Council. Save staff report (including this cover sheet) along with all related attachments in the Team Drive (T:) --> CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEMS 4 AGENDA ITEM APPROVAL PROCESS 4 [DEPT - AGENDA TOPIC] Agenda Item # Date of Meeting: 11/21/2016 From: Cory Bytof Department: City Manager Date: 11/14/2016 Topic: ANNUAL GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION UPDATE Subject: RECEIVE AND ACCEPT SAN RAFAEL GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION STRATEGY REPORT Type: ❑ Resolution ❑ Ordinance ❑ Professional Services Agreement ® Other: Staff Report APPROVALS ® Finance Director Remarks: MM - approved 11/14/16 ® City Attorney Remarks: LG approved 11/14/16 ® Author, review and accept City Attorney / Finance changes Remarks: ® City Manager Remarks: