Comment Log Display

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