TO: Napa County Climate Action Committee
FROM: David Morrison, Interim County Executive Officer
REPORT BY: David Morrison, Interim County Executive Officer
SUBJECT: Climate Action Committee (CAC) Priorities for Fiscal Year 2023 - 2024 (FY23/24)
RECOMMENDATION
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The Interim County Executive Officer requests that the Climate Action Committee provide direction to staff on priorities for fiscal year 2023/2024 (FY23/24).
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
With the substantial change in CAC membership and staffing in recent months, and the need to prepare budget estimates for FY 23-24, staff requests that the CAC provide direction on priorities for the coming fiscal year.
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 February 2022 CAC meeting, staff presented the results of a survey that was sent to CAC members as to what actions should be prioritized for the coming fiscal year. The CAC discussed the top five prioritized items from that survey as well as others that were brought up by CAC members. In March 2022, the CAC established the following three priorities (updated by staff). These were in addition to the priority of preparing a Regional GHG inventory.
1) EV Charging Station Plan
Work Plan: evaluate constraints and opportunities to accelerate EV adoption and increase EV charging stations strategically throughout the County, in accordance with CEC goals.
GHG Sector: On-Road Transportation
Timeline: 9-12 months
Partners: NVTA, jurisdictions, regional agencies, local stakeholders
Potential Cost: $50K - $75K in either consultant costs or staff costs, potential grant funding
Status: Not started
2) Streamline solar permits through the adoption of SolarAPP+
Work Plan: SolarAPP+ is a standardized plan review software developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) that can run compliance checks and process building permit approvals for eligible rooftop solar systems.
GHG Sector: Building Energy
Timeline: 6 months
Partners: Jurisdictions
Potential Cost: $2K - $5K in staff costs. Potential grant funding
Status: Not started
3) Develop a program to achieve 90% waste diversion by 2030
Work Plan: Collaborate with partners to develop policies, programs, and education campaigns to severely reduce the amount waste sent to landfills.
GHG Sector: Solid Waste
Timeline: 1-2 years. Solid waste staff is currently focused on implementing SB 1382 to achieve 80% waste diversion
Partners: Waste haulers, jurisdictional staff
Potential Cost: $20k-$30k
Status: Not started
In November 2022, the CAC added a fourth priority of preparing a Regional Climate Action Plan:
4) Regional Climate Action Plan
Work Plan: Develop a menu of quantifiable and measurable actions to reduce GHG emissions as identified in the regional inventory to achieve net zero emissions
GHG Sector: All
Timeline: 1 year
Partners: local stakeholders, jurisdictional staff,
Potential Cost: $250K - $500K, including CEQA review
Status: Grant application submitted
Two priorities considered by the CAC in March 2022 were not moved forward:
5) New Building Reach Code (all-electric for new residential construction)
Work Plan: Work with stakeholders, the CAC and jurisdictional staff to develop a uniform reach code that can be adopted by each jurisdiction.
GHG Sector: Building Energy
Timeline: No later than adoption of the 2025 California Building Code on January 1, 2026.
Partners: local stakeholders, jurisdictional staff, BayREN staff
Potential Cost: Overall costs to the CAC would be low, but each jurisdiction would have staffing requirements to update and pass the updated code.
6) Develop a program to support conversion of agricultural equipment, off-road equipment, and freight from diesel to alternatives
Work Plan: Off-road diesel engines are widely used in agricultural goods production and supply operations: from planting to harvesting and processing. The work plan could include outreach, incentives and/or education around fuel switching and/or electric technologies.
GHG Sector: Off-Road Equipment
Timeline: 1 year
Partners: Ag stakeholders, electric technology developers, alternative fuels developers, jurisdictional staff.
Potential Cost: $50k-100K
Other priorities discussed but not adopted included the following.
• E-bikes and how to encourage their use (along with efforts to enhance bike lanes).
• Expand recycled water infrastructure in all jurisdictions
• Advance health forest initiatives (fuel reduction, thinning of non-native and flammable species) that support wildfire mitigation and environmental habitat protection
• Identify grant opportunities in general that will help reduce carbon emissions.
• Have a legislation watch that will inform members of pending or developing issues.
• Collaborate with other committees and agencies in the County that share efforts to reduce our carbon footprint.
• Find ways to coordinate and avoid duplication of effort and at the same time be supportive of those efforts.
• Consider Ad Hoc committees which include subject matter experts that are not members of the CAC to help guide our efforts and find new approaches.
• Evaluate existing power grid and make recommendations for future grid improvements
• Evaluate need for additional water retention infrastructure
• Financial Options/Strategies: 1. Grants, which may be for program development and or incentives. 2. Cash incentives from State and Federal agencies to support climate action crisis.
• Review and discuss the current electric grid and its capacity to take on future electricity demands.
At the April 2023 meeting, the CAC requested that staff prepare a draft ordinance to prohibit the use of natural gas in new construction. That item will be brought forward as a future agenda item. The CAC may want to also review this task in its consideration of priorities for the next fiscal year.