City of Elk Grove City Council Staff Report
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AGENDA ITEM NO. 10.3 CITY OF ELK GROVE CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT AGENDA TITLE: Provide direction on possible support for the Paris Climate Agreement, joining the Mayors National Climate Action Agenda, and providing possible direction to staff on updates to the City's Climate Action Plan (CEQA Exempt) MEETING DATE: July 26, 2017 PREPARED BY: Christopher Jordan, AICP, Assistant to the City Manager DEPARTMENT HEAD: Laura Gill, City Manager RECOMMENDED ACTION: Staff recommends that the City Council consider possible actions to support the Paris Climate Agreement. Options include, but are not limited to: 1. Adoption of a resolution supporting the Paris Climate Agreement by authorizing the Mayor to join the Mayors National Climate Action Agenda (Climate Mayors) and sign the Climate Mayors Statement regarding the Paris Agreement (Attachment 1); and 2. Provide direction, if any, on the update to the City’s Climate Action Plan. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: At the June 14, 2017 City Council meeting, the Council directed staff to bring forward an agenda item regarding the Paris Climate Agreement (Paris Agreement). This report addresses the Paris Agreement as well as the upcoming update to the City’s Climate Action Plan (CAP). 1 Elk Grove City Council July 26, 2017 Page 2 of 5 ANALYSIS: The Paris Climate Agreement The Paris Agreement is an international effort to address climate change. Adopted in December 2015, the Paris Agreement (Attachment 2) “seeks to accelerate and intensify the actions and investment needed for a sustainable low carbon future. Its central aim is to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 1 degrees Celsius.” The Paris Agreement operates by having each individual country determine its contributions towards the reduction targets, which is referred to as “nationally determined contributions (‘NDCs’).” Each country is to reevaluate its NDCs on a regular basis (every five years), making them more ambitious each time (referred to as the principle of progression). The contributions are not binding and there are no mechanisms in the Agreement to force compliance; rather, the Agreement sets up a mechanism to criticize those nations not meeting their goals and praise those that are. Article 6 of the Agreement outlines a trading system for mitigation outcomes, allowing countries to use emission reductions outside of their own country towards their NDC. In short, it sets up a framework for a global carbon market and is intended to promote cooperation between countries. As an agreement implementing the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and because there are no legal thresholds, the Agreement is not subject to Congressional action and is, rather, an executive agreement. The United States signed the Agreement in September 2016, and the Agreement became effective November 4, 2016 after sufficient parties had signed the Agreement. On June 1, 2017, President Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from the Paris Agreement. Pursuant to the terms of the Agreement, the earliest possible effective date of the withdrawal is 1 From United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, http://unfccc.int/essential_background/items/6031.php 2 Elk Grove City Council July 26, 2017 Page 3 of 5 November 4, 2020, which is four years after the effective date of the Paris Agreement. This also happens to be the day after the 2020 US General Election. Mayors National Climate Action Agenda Because of the President’s action, many communities across the country have adopted resolutions supporting the goals of the agreement. The Mayors National Climate Action Agenda (the “Climate Mayors”) is an organized group of mayors from around the country that have, among other things, signed a statement pledging to further the Paris Agreement (Attachment 3). Climate Mayors is a mayor-to-mayor network of US mayors collaborating on climate. There are no binding commitments to be a member; only that cities are pursuing actions to achieve an emissions reduction target through the following (note, these are all actions that Elk Grove has already completed;, see discussion of the Climate Action Plan below): • Developing a community Greenhouse Gas (GHG) inventory • Setting near- and long-term targets to reduce emissions • Developing a Climate Action Plan aligned with the city’s targets. Climate Mayors is currently calling upon cities to prepare Climate Action Plans, join with other cities in supporting the goals of the Paris Agreement, and commit to “exploring the potential benefits and costs of adopting policies and programs that promote the long-term goal of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction while maximizing economic and social co- benefits of such action.” The City may choose to authorize the Mayor to join the Climate Mayors group on behalf of the City, and to approve a resolution supporting the Paris Agreement, as provided in Attachment 1. This would authorize the Mayor to sign the Climate Mayors Statement provided in Attachment 3. Climate Action Plan The City has already undertaken efforts to reduce its GHG emissions through the adoption of the 2013 Climate Action Plan, or CAP. As part of the current General Plan Update, the CAP will be updated to be consistent with the new proposed General Plan and the latest State efforts towards limiting GHGs. Based upon prior direction during preparation of the CAP, 3 Elk Grove City Council July 26, 2017 Page 4 of 5 the update is focused on continuing the existing efforts and avoiding significant new regulations. Staff will continue this effort unless directed otherwise. As part of the update, staff will be including upcoming Statewide mandates, including pending changes to the Energy Code of the California Building Code. Over the next 13 years, the State intends to require all new construction to be zero net energy, meaning that it produces enough renewable energy on-site to meet its needs. Residential construction will be subject to the requirement in 2020; commercial will be subject to the requirement by 2030. These objectives were outlined by the State after adoption of the CAP in 2013 and will assist the City in achieving GHG reduction targets as set forth by the State in Assembly Bill 32, Senate Bill 32, and the State Scoping Plan. In all other regards, staff’s focus for the updated CAP is to implement prior Council direction by leveraging existing plans and programs (both locally and at the State level) that allow the City to achieve the reduction targets, while not imposing new burdens on residents, businesses, or development that would limit the City’s competitive advantages. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: Adoption of the attached resolution joining the Climate Mayors is not a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Sections 15378 (definition of a Project) and 15061(b)(3) (General Rule). The action does not meet the definition of a project under CEQA and, under the General Rule, CEQA only applies to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Joining the Climate Mayors group is an administrative activity of the City and will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment. Further, under Section 15308 (Actions by Regulatory Agencies for Protection of the Environment), there is a specific exemption for actions taken by agencies to assure enhancement or protection of the environment where the regulatory process involves procedures for protection of the environment. Therefore, the potential action is exempt from CEQA and no further environmental review is required. 4 Elk Grove City Council July 26, 2017 Page 5 of 5 FISCAL IMPACT: Adoption of the resolution poses no direct fiscal impact to the City. The update to the Climate Action Plan is included in the overall General Plan Update budget. If the City desires to be more assertive with its climate change programs, these programs could have an impact on the General Fund, the extent of which is unknown at this time. ATTACHMENTS: 1. Resolution 2. The Paris Climate Agreement 3. Climate Mayors Statement on the Paris Agreement 5 ATTACHMENT 1 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ELK GROVE SUPPORTING THE PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT AND JOINING THE MAYORS NATIONAL CLIMATE ACTION AGENDA WHEREAS, the State of California has mandated statewide reduction of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions to 80% below 1990 levels by 2050, with an interim target of 40% by 2030; and WHEREAS, in 2013 the City adopted the Climate Action Plan, or CAP, which includes such policies and programs that promote long-term GHG emission reductions; and WHEREAS, in December 2015, the Paris Climate Agreement (Paris Agreement) was adopted by the global community and included a commitment from almost every nation to take action and enact programs to limit global temperature increase to less than 2 degrees Celsius, with an expectation that this goal would be reduced to 1.5 degrees in the future; and WHEREAS, the United States signed the Paris Agreement in September 2016; and WHEREAS, President Trump announced on June 1, 2017 that the United States would withdraw from the Paris Agreement. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Elk Grove hereby: 1. Supports the goals, objectives, and actions of the Paris Agreement; 2. Authorizes the Mayor to join the Mayors National Climate Action Agenda (Climate Mayors); and 3. Authorizes the Mayor to sign the Climate Mayors Statement in support of the Paris Agreement. PASSED AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Elk Grove this 26th day of July 2017. STEVE LY, MAYOR of the CITY OF ELK GROVE ATTEST: APPROVED AS TO FORM: JASON LINDGREN, CITY CLERK JONATHAN P.