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ACTION ALERT: Public comments needed on Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan this Thursday, April 28
Muriel Zeller / CAP/CPC / April 12, 2022
On Thursday, April 28, 2022, 9:00 AM, the Calaveras County Planning Commission will hear from staff and consultants on the proposed implementation measures for the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reduction Plan. The draft measures make for some interesting reading. It is a very ambitious draft plan, and the consultants suggest designating a department to implement the plan, hiring additional staff, and applying for a plethora of grants.
The Conservation and Open Space Element of the county’s General Plan (COS 5-C) provides for the development of “a GHG reduction plan outlining the strategies, goals, and actions for contributing to the overall reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions consistent with AB 32 and SB 32 by the end of 2022.” Given the county is being sued by the Calaveras Planning Coalition for, among other things, its inability to meet the minimum requirements of state planning law in the updated General Plan adopted in November 2019, the upcoming Planning Commission meeting should provide a fascinating discussion about how the county will achieve consistency with AB32 and SB32.
Interestingly, the consultants included the following: “Note: All measures can be implemented as mandates, incentives, or voluntary (incentives or voluntary programs, however, cannot be considered as guaranteed GHG reductions).” Apparently, the consultants are aware of the reluctance of local leaders to mandate much of anything. There will be many things to which commissioners may object such as committing to the Central Sierra Zero Emission Vehicle Readiness Plan or adding paid parking to key visitation locations to encourage transit use, carpooling, biking, and walking.
There are definitely proposed implementation measures that would be better suited to an urban environment, including the consultants’ suggestion to provide a transportation subsidy to low-income households so poor people who have a job can buy a bicycle to ride to work. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the mean commute one-way in Calaveras County is about 35.5 miles. That’s quite a bike ride. In addition, the proposed micro-mobility programs that utilize e-scooters and bikes also use conventional exhaust spewing vans or trucks to collect, recharge, and redistribute the e-scooters and bikes, which kind of defeats the purpose of the electric scooters and bikes.
There are a number of implementation measures regarding agriculture, but there was no mention of encouraging the preservation of rangeland as carbon sinks with conservation easements or even any mention of protecting natural and working lands as a strategy for reducing GHG. This seems odd, when California’s Climate Change Scoping Plan says natural and working lands “hold the ultimate solution to addressing climate change and its impacts. In order to stabilize the climate, natural and working lands must play a key role.” In addition, “Transportation and land use planning should minimize the footprint of the built environment, while supporting and investing in efforts to restore, conserve and strengthen natural and working lands.”
Public comment is invited on the proposed reduction plan. The agenda and staff report for the Planning Commission meeting of April 28 is available here:
https://calaverasgov.us/Meeting-Calendar/ModuleID/3891/ItemID/1227/mctl/EventDetails.
You can attend the Planning Commission meeting in person at the Board of Supervisors’ chambers or watch via Zoom, or you may email your plan comments prior to the meeting. Links on how to comment are provided in the PC Agenda here: http://calaverascountyca.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=14&ID=1761&Inline=True. Don’t miss your chance to comment on the proposed GHG Reduction Plan before it is adopted by the Board of Supervisors.
