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Comment 71 for Land Use Comments for the GHG Scoping Plan (sp-landuse-ws) - 1st Workshop.
First Name: Julio
Last Name: Magalhaes
Email Address: julio.magalhaes@sierraclub.org
Affiliation: Loma Prieta Chapter, Sierra Club
Subject: Opportunity for early GHG emission reductions from local government action
Comment:
Dear Air Resources Board: I am the Global Warming Program Coordinator with the Sierra Club's Loma Prieta Chapter, which includes Santa Clara, San Mateo, and San Benito Counties. I am posting these comments on behalf of the 20,000 members of our Chapter and the over 2400 people in our opt-in Global Warming Database. Our Chapter has a quite extensive Global Warming Program focused on local action to reduce GHG emissions. I would like to ask you to more fully consider the important role local governments can play in the emission reduction plan laid out in the Climate Change Scoping Plan The most active initiative in our chapter's Global Warming Plan is the Cool Cities Campaign. This National Sierra Club campaign forms teams of residents in each city and county to work with local government leaders for decisive action to control GHG emissions. Our Chapter's Cool Cities campaign has formed 19 Cool Cities City Teams of resident volunteers to urge their local government leaders to sign the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement or the Cool Counties Climate Stabilization Declaration and to then implement these commitments through achievement of a series of milestones. A petition to you signed by over 180 of our highly active Cool Cities Team volunteers is attached urging you to take-up the suggestions made in this comment letter. Since November 2006, when our local Cool Cities Campaign was launched, 15 additional cities have signed the MCPA and two counties have signed the Cool Counties Declaration. This makes a total of 25 jurisdictions that have now committed to reduce community-wide emissions (corresponding to 68% by number and 85% by population). Our Chapter is about to release a study entitled Cool Cities Local Government Climate Action Survey which studies climate protection commitments and actions by local governments in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. This study demonstrates that local governments in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties show rapidly growing engagement on climate protection. However, achievement of essential milestones toward emission reduction is still generally lagging. As you finalize the Climate Change Scoping Plan, I urge you do the following: 1. Recognize the opportunity for early emissions reductions created by the rapidly growing engagement of local governments in the Bay Area and elsewhere on climate protection. 2. Properly quantify the emission reductions that would be possible through early local government action. 3. Provide local governments with much needed technical guidance and assistance on emission inventories, emission reduction targets, and climate action planning and emission reduction measures. 4. Make an investment in early emission reductions by providing financial support to cities and counties that are willing to take early action. Our Cool Cities Local Government Climate Action Survey report suggests that a combination of public engagement with local government leaders, outside initiatives facilitating specific climate protection actions, and financial assistance to jurisdictions is essential for rapid decisive action to occur at a level needed to meet the climate change/ clean energy challenge. I hope the California Air Resources Board will do its part to foster early emissions reduction actions by local governments. I promise you that we will do our part to foster public engagement. Thank you. Sincerely, Julio Magalhães Julio Magalhães, Ph.D. Global Warming Program Coordinator Sierra Club, Loma Prieta Chapter 3921 East Bayshore Road, Suite 204 Palo Alto, CA 94303
Attachment: www.arb.ca.gov/lists/sp-landuse-ws/77-petition_to_arb_on_draft_scoping_plan.pdf
Original File Name: Petition to ARB on Draft Scoping Plan.pdf
Date and Time Comment Was Submitted: 2008-08-11 19:27:23
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