Comment Log Display

Thank you for the opportunity to submit comments on your Draft
Cap-And Trade Auction Proceeds Triennial Investment Plan. 
Strategic Energy Innovations www.seiinc.org, a California based
non-profit organization, is currently a major partner in the
Sustainable Energy Roadmap (SER) program
www.sustainableenergyroadmap.com funded through the Strategic
Growth Council.  The purpose of this program is to assist a cohort
of 20 jurisdictions in the San Joaquin Valley develop plans, and
set, and pursue goals relating water conservation, smart growth,
transportation, land use, climate and energy.  As a core focus of
this effort, the SER implementation team is reaching out to and
engaging environment justice (EJ) organizations and disadvantaged
communities in this process to ensure that these entities are aware
of and involved in critical community sustainability efforts. 
As we have rolled out this project with over the last few months,
we have found that jurisdictions are interested in learning in
learning best practices and want to set and pursue sustainability
and climate goals to achieve these best practices. We have
discovered many innovative projects underway in the San Joaquin
Valley in the areas of clean transportation and sustainable
communities as well clean energy and energy efficiency. We have
also found a number of great ideas in the EJ organizations about
how they might collaborate to achieve climate and sustainability
goals and pursue needed resources from the state and other
sources.
We see significant opportunities to achieve substantive climate
goals in the San Joaquin Valley through a Disadvantaged Communities
(DACs) cross cutting project focused in the Valley.  While many
individual projects are being crafted to deal with unique needs of
the clean transportation, clean energy and energy efficiency
sectors, there is a need for the state financial support to develop
a regional plan and support regional efforts detailing how key
Valley EJ organizations and Disadvantaged Communities will develop
and coordinate cross cutting approaches to greenhouse gas reduction
in the Valley.   We recommend that you that the final Triennial
Investment Plan and subsequent program guidance allow and provide
support for this type of regional planning and collaboration.