TO: Napa County Climate Action Committee
FROM: David Morrison, Special Projects Director
REPORT BY: Ryan Melendez, Planner II, Sustainability
SUBJECT: Presentation by Ted Lamm from UC Berkeley Law re: Equitable EV Action Plan Framework
RECOMMENDATION
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PRESENTATION, DISCUSSION, AND DIRECTION: FISCAL IMPACT - Staff requests that the Climate Action Committee (CAC) receive a presentation from Ted Lamm, Associate Director of UC Berkeley’s Center for Law, Energy, & the Environment (CLEE), on their development of an Equitable EV Action Plan Framework. Staff requests direction from the CAC regarding using CLEE’s framework and GIS-based tools to develop an EV Charging Infrastructure Priority Plan and the option to hire a PhD student-researcher to develop the GIS-based tool for Napa County jurisdictional uses.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Ted Lamm, Associate Director of UC Berkeley’s Center for Law, Energy, & the Environment (CLEE), on their development of an Equitable EV Action Plan Framework, followed by discussion and direction by the CAC to staff regarding using this framework to develop an EV Charging Infrastructure Priority Plan.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by 14 California
Code of Regulations 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
At the May 2023 Climate Action Committee (CAC) meeting, the CAC provided direction to staff on the committee’s priorities for fiscal year 2023/2024 (FY 23/24). One of the priorities of the committee for FY 23/24 was the development of an EV Infrastructure Plan and the installation of new public EV Chargers in the Napa region communities. As of April 2024, there are 419 public Level 2 and 57 DC Fast chargers in operation. The California Energy Commission (CEC) estimates that by 2025, Napa County will need a total of 1288 public Level 2 chargers and 63 DC Fast chargers, a difference of 869 and 6, respectively. To facilitate in a statewide transition to Zero Emissions Vehicles (ZEVs), Napa County and the incorporated jurisdictions within need to drastically increase the number of publicly available chargers within the next few years.
- One option to expedite the implementation of EV Charging Infrastructure is to simply install chargers at any location possible, without the development of a plan. This approach has two major drawbacks.
o One: businesses, multifamily properties, and commercial buildings where charging infrastructure will be crucial will likely need to pay some, or all, of the cost to install EV Chargers. More affluent properties will have the financial ability to install chargers, while properties in underserved areas may not have the financial means to launch charging infrastructure. To ensure an equitable approach to a ZEV transition, lower-income residents and employees will need access to EV charging infrastructure.
o Two: to ensure people actually use the chargers, special attention should be made to prioritize transportation corridors, shopping centers, businesses, and residential areas where EV chargers are convenient to access. If chargers are installed in a location that results in extremely low use, it will limit its usefulness to the community. Therefore, implementing strategically located chargers will be imperative to providing useful and equitable infrastructure.
- Another option which staff has considered is developing a Request for Proposals (RFP) to hire a consultant to develop an EV Charging Infrastructure Plan. The estimated budget for this option is approximately $50,000.
- An alternative option to hiring a consultant is to attempt to create the plan internally. This option requires a hefty lift and time commitment by sustainability and GIS staff to acquire the necessary data and coordinate with other departments and agencies to ensure the feasibility of installing EV charging infrastructure.
- The last option that staff is considering is the use of a new tool being developed by UC Berkeley’s Center for Law, Energy, & the Environment (CLEE). CLEE is developing an Equitable EV Action Plan Framework to provide local governments and stakeholders with a comprehensive set of strategies and examples (both planned and implemented) to form local action plans that can deliver an equitable and effective EV transition. The goal is to give agency and community leaders the tools they need to ensure that the coming EV transition enhances mobility for priority communities. CLEE is partnering with The Greenlining Institute and Forth to develop the framework over the course of this year. They have consulted with a range of experts in mobility equity, transportation planning, and local climate action to gather knowledge on existing plans, pilot projects, and equity-focused best practices from around the country that should be included in the framework. In connection with the Plan, CLEE is collaborating with UC Berkeley’s Energy & Resources Group to develop an open-access GIS tool for site prioritization. The draft framework and feedback form are available here: Equitable EV Action Plan Framework - Berkeley Law <https://www.law.berkeley.edu/research/clee/ev-equity/equitable-ev-action-plan-framework/>
Staff requests that the CAC receive a presentation from Ted Lamm, Associate Director of UC Berkeley’s CLEE on this initiative. In his current role, he coordinates CLEE’s Research Fellow program and leads CLEE’s EV Equity Initiative, a multi-year effort to develop local government tools that advance zero-emissions mobility investment in priority communities. His other work focuses on innovative programs to reduce vehicle miles traveled, revenue and funding strategies to support local climate action, and climate-related financial risk.
Ted is a Research Affiliate of the UC Berkeley Institute of Transportation Studies and serves on the California Energy Commission’s Clean Transportation Program Advisory Committee.
Prior to joining CLEE, Ted practiced both environmental law and corporate law in New York City. At New York University School of Law, where Ted received his J.D., he was the symposium editor of the Environmental Law Journal. Ted received his A.B. in English and Economics from Brown University. He has been admitted to the California, New York, D.C. Circuit, and Supreme Court bars.
Staff also requests that the CAC provide direction to staff on the utilization of this tool to develop an EV Action Plan. Additionally, the CAC has an opportunity to obtain temporary assistance from a UC Berkeley PhD student-researcher to aid in the development of this GIS tool for use by Napa jurisdictions. The estimated cost for this stipend is approximately $10,00 over a two-to-three-month period during the summer of Calendar Year 2024. These funds would be spent from the $50,000 previously budgeted by the CAC for an EV Plan consultant.
If approved by the CAC, staff will immediately begin work with Ted and the UC Berkeley CLEE team to develop this plan.