TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: David Morrison, Interim County Executive Officer
REPORT BY: David Morrison, Interim County Executive Officer
SUBJECT: Interim County Executive Officer will provide a presentation on the regional greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory, and will request discussion and direction regarding preparation of a Regional Climate Action Plan.
RECOMMENDATION
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Interim County Executive Officer will provide a presentation on the regional greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory, and will request discussion and direction regarding preparation of a Regional Climate Action Plan.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Over the past year, the Climate Action Committee (CAC) has prepared and completed an updated GHG emissions inventory for the unincorporated area and the five cities/town. The creation of the inventory has enabled the CAC to better understand the current sources and levels of emissions, as well as estimates for future emissions through 2030. The CAC is turning their focus towards effectively reducing GHG emissions. Many of the strategies and measures to be implemented to reduce GHG emissions require strategic inter-governmental coordination. Staff made a presentation to the Napa County League of Governments on October 6, 2022, where there was general support by the six jurisdictions for proceeding with a Regional Climate Action Plan to provide a policy and implementation framework for reducing GHG emissions. The CAC met on November 30, 2022, accepted the GHG inventory and directed staff to work with individual jurisdictions to determine support for a Regional Climate Action Plan.
Staff has made presentations to the Cities of American Canyon, Calistoga, and St. Helena, all of whom have indicated unanimous support for a Regional Climate Action Plan. Staff will be making a presentation to the Town of Yountville on February 7, 2023.
FISCAL & STRATEGIC PLAN IMPACT
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Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
No |
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Is it currently budgeted? |
No |
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Where is it budgeted? |
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Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? |
Discretionary |
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Discretionary Justification: |
Coordination between the cities, town, and county would provide more effective implementation of GHG reduction measures, result in greater efficiency and cost in developing a Regional Climate Action Plan, as well as create more consistency for businesses and landowners within Napa County. |
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Is the general fund affected? |
No |
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Future fiscal impact: |
If staff is able to obtain grant funding for preparation of a Regional Climate Action Plan, there would be no additional cost to the County budget. However, additional costs would likely be needed for any accompanying CEQA document, with the County’s share estimated at up to $200,000. |
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Consequences if not approved: |
Climate planning for Napa County would continue for the unincorporated area, without benefit of coordination or joint implementation with other regional jurisdictions. |
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County Strategic Plan pillar addressed: |
Vibrant and Sustainable Environment |
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Additional Information |
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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
Staff will provide a presentation on the regional greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory and proposed Regional Climate Action Plan (see attached Power Point document). The GHG inventory and future GHG forecast have also been attached for the Board’s reference.
Over the past two years, the CAC has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), prepared a GHG inventory, participated in a discussion of climate change at the Napa County League of Governments (NCLOG), and has reviewed various options for preparing a Regional Climate Action Plan. A great deal of progress has been made in the last 12 months, but more work still lies ahead. Supplemental memos on short-lived climate pollutants and carbon sequestration will be released in the next months. Many jurisdictions including Napa County have already started to prepare the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 budget, which will in part rely on the future direction for addressing climate change on a regional basis.
The next step is to determine what actions can be taken by the six jurisdictions, either collectively or individually, to reduce both current and future GHG emissions. Many of the strategies and measures that will need to be implemented to reduce GHG emissions will require effective inter-governmental coordination. All of us are bound together in the same economy, transportation network, air basin, watershed, and ecosystem. The implementation of actions will be more effective and more efficient if carried out consistently among the CAC members. At the October 6 meeting of the NCLOG, there was general support for proceeding with a Regional Climate Action Plan to provide a policy and implementation framework for reducing GHG emissions. There was also general agreement that each jurisdiction should consider the proposal for a Regional Climate Action Plan at a future Council/Board meeting, to guide CAC representatives as they move forward.
Staff recommends that the Board of Supervisors support the development of a Regional Climate Action Plan. Subsequently, staff would work with City Managers from participating jurisdictions and the CAC to develop a Request for Proposals, including budget and scope of work for the Regional Climate Action Plan and appropriate California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) document. The Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) that governs the CAC would be amended to reflect these anticipated costs, which would also be included in the budgets being prepared by each jurisdiction for the 2023-2024 calendar year. Any amendments to the JPA would come back to the Board of Supervisors for future consideration, as would any consultant contract to prepare the Regional Climate Action Plan and CEQA document, as the County serves as the Administering Agency for the CAC.
If there is support for a Regional Climate Action Plan, staff would prepare a grant application for the Adaptation Planning Grant from the Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program (ICARP) at the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR). The grant provides an opportunity to fund regional Climate Action Plans and awards will be $150,000-$650,000. The preparation of CEQA documents is an ineligible activity under this grant. The application period opened on January 17, 2023, and the deadline to apply is March 31, 2023.