My name is MARIJANE LOPEZ-TAFF. I am a small
business owner and a volunteer Ambassador of the Citrus Heights
Chamber of Commerce.
I am speaking today to represent small
businesses.
While the 2022 Scoping Plan seeks to address
very important issues such as:
·
The impact of
continued dependence on fossil fuels
·
Extreme heat,
drought, and catastrophic wildfires
AND their impacts – toxic pollutants,
respiratory illness, and poor air quality, etc.
AND, while the Plan devotes a lot of time to
the benefits of transitioning to 100% zero-emission vehicles
(ZEVs),
I have a few simple questions that I am
interested in the answers to:
1.
With regular
rolling blackouts and a power grid that cannot sustain the current
power needs (ie Housing) how can we ensure the integrity of the
power grid? (think PG&E and fires) AND
2.
If new power
grids are going to be built, who will pay for them, and in the
meantime, how can we ensure that those power plants are from clean
sources? (think dirty sources to produce
“clean”)
3.
What is the
environmental plan regarding the disposal of batteries and their
toxic parts? (Independent analysis shows that END OF LIFE DISPOSAL
largely negates any environmental benefits) (think groundwater
contamination)
On page 148 of the DRAFT PLAN, it mentions
that “light-duty passenger vehicles consume the majority of
gasoline in the state – 12.9 billion gallons in 2019”
According to Google -- What is
considered a light vehicle?
Light vehicle means a motor
vehicle commonly referred to as an automobile, van, sport utility
vehicle, or truck having a manufacturer's rated capacity of 1 ton
or less.
From food delivery to construction workers --
small businesses of all types are reliant on these vehicles to run
their businesses.
Small businesses are already reeling from the
effects of Covid shutdowns on their businesses.
This Plan only helps to further shutter small
businesses by its costly and potentially ill-conceived
requirements.
Finally, if this body is interested in really
protecting the environment (as we all are), think through some of
the vast possibilities of unintended consequences that this plan
could put into motion – AND --
I ask you to keep small businesses alive in
California by giving us more time to naturally convert to
energy-efficient vehicles, allowing for the slower development of
reliable power structures and the discovery of safer disposal
practices.
Thank you for your thoughtful
consideration.