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Comment 37 for Land Use Comments for the GHG Scoping Plan (sp-landuse-ws) - 1st Workshop.
First Name: Bill
Last Name: Bogaard
Email Address: bbogaard@cityofpasadena.net
Affiliation:
Subject: AB 32
Comment:
July 31, 2008 Hon. Mary Nichols Chair, California Air Resources Board P.O. Box 2815 Sacramento, CA 95812 Dear Ms. Nichols: I am writing in regard to the AB 32 Scoping Plan, to urge the Air Resources Board strengthen the pull of local government in this effort by including land use and transportation approaches at the local level as key elements for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Pasadena seeks to offer strong local leadership in this critical challenge of climate control, and has committed to a “Green City Action Plan” based on the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ Climate Control Agreement introduced in 2005. Rising gas prices already are causing many Californians to rethink their attitudes towards car use and the locations of their homes and jobs. Since transportation is California’s single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, and since a large part of the transportation-related carbon emissions is caused by long-distance commuting patterns based on local land use decisions, this is a major weakness of the Scoping Plan in its current draft form. The draft says little about the relationship between changing land use patterns and reduced driving as part of the effort to reduce emissions. Setting a higher target for local government, based on land use decisions and support for non-auto based mobility, would strengthen the plan and involve local governments more seriously and more effectively in considering the climate change consequences of their actions. The Scoping Plan could be improved by setting a higher target for reduced greenhouse gas emissions to be achieved by local government actions including land use decisions; giving local governments legal and financial tools to reduce VMT; providing incentives for local land use and transportation policies which reduce unnecessary driving, car use, and gasoline consumption; and supporting expansion of existing transit service, car-pooling, and other alternatives to single-passenger car use. The Scoping Plan could be improved by: • Setting a higher target for reduced greenhouse gas emissions to be achieved by local government actions including land use decisions. • Supporting expansion of existing transit service, car-pooling, and other alternatives to single-passenger car use. • Providing incentives for local land use and transportation policies which reduce unnecessary driving, car use, and gasoline consumption • Giving local governments legal and financial tools to reduce VMT. Thank you for your consideration. Please let us know in Pasadena if there is any way in which we can be helpful in this matter. Sincerely, BILL BOGAARD Mayor cc: Members of the California Air Resources Board Climate Plan
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Date and Time Comment Was Submitted: 2008-07-31 12:15:27
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