HomeMy WebLinkAboutR-11159 approving the Climate Action Plan for Community Recovery and associated California Environmental Quality Act Greenhouse Gas Emission Thresholds (EID-0275-2020)R 11159
RESOLUTION NO. 11159 (2020 SERIES)
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN LUIS
OBISPO, CALIFORNIA, APPROVING THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN
FOR COMMUNITY RECOVERY AND ASSOCIATED CALIFORNIA
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSION
THRESHOLDS AND GUIDANCE INCLUDING A NEGATIVE
DECLARATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW (EID 0275-2020)
WHEREAS, greenhouse gas accumulation in the atmosphere as the result of human
activity is the primary cause of the global climate crisis; and
WHEREAS, in California alone, the initial impacts of climate change have resulted in
unprecedented disasters with tremendous human, economic, and environmental costs; and
WHEREAS, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that global
emissions need to be reduced by 45 percent from 2010 levels by 2030, and 100 percent by 2050 to
prevent global catastrophe; and
WHEREAS, the State of California enacted Senate Bill (SB) 32 to require greenhouse gas
emissions to be reduced to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 and Governor Brown issued
Executive Order B-55-18 establishing a statewide target of carbon neutrality by 2045; and
WHEREAS, City of San Luis Obispo residents and businesses have repeatedly identified
climate action as a top community priority; and
WHEREAS, the City of San Luis Obispo City Council has directed staff to evaluate
strategies and options to achieve community-wide carbon neutrality by 2035; and
WHEREAS, the COVID-19 Pandemic has created a public health and economic disasters;
and
WHEREAS, a low carbon, sustainability-oriented approach to economic development is
widely believed to be a path forward for resiliency and community recovery; and
WHEREAS, low greenhouse gas emissions, resilience and equity are required for
communities to thrive in the 21st century; and
WHEREAS, the City of San Luis Obispo City Council first adopted a Climate Action Plan
(CAP) in 2012; and
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WHEREAS, the City has adopted a Major City Goal in response to the climate crises to
continue to update and implement the Climate Action Plan for carbon neutrality, including
preservation and enhancement of our open space and urban forest and planning for resilience; and
WHEREAS, a 2020 update to the Climate Action Plan has been prepared and titled,
Climate Action Plan for Community Recovery, that establishes a community-wide goal of carbon
neutrality by 2035, adopts sector specific goals, and provides foundational actions to establish a
trajectory towards achieving those goals; and
WHEREAS, lead agencies may analyze and mitigate the significant effects of GHG
emissions at a programmatic level, such as in a general plan, a long range development plan, or a
separate plan to reduce GHG emissions as authorized in State CEQA Guidelines (Cal. Code Regs.,
tit. 14, § 15000 et seq.), section 15183.5(a); and
WHEREAS, public agencies may choose to analyze and mitigate significant GHG
emissions in a plan for the reduction of GHG emissions and such a plan may be used in a
cumulative impacts analysis (State CEQA Guidelines, §15183(b)); and
WHEREAS, section 15183(b)(1) of the State CEQA Guidelines states that a plan for the
reduction of GHG should: a) Quantify GHG emissions, both existing and projected over a specified
time period, resulting from activities within a specified area; b) Establish a level, based on
substantial evidence, below which the contribution to greenhouse gas emissions from activities
covered by the plan would not be cumulatively considerable; c) Identify and analyze the
greenhouse gas emissions resulting from specific actions or categories of actions anticipated within
the geographic area; d) Specify measures or a group of measures, including performance standards,
that substantial evidence demonstrates, if implemented on a project-by-project basis, would
collectively achieve the specified emissions level; e) Establish a mechanism to monitor the plan’s
progress toward achieving the level and to require amendment if the plan is not achieving specified
levels; f) Be adopted in a public process following environmental review; and
WHEREAS, the Climate Action Plan for Community Recovery is a Qualified GHG
Emissions Reduction Plan to reduce GHG emissions withing its jurisdictional boundary to meet
and exceed state targets consistent with CEQA Guidelines Section 15183.5 for year 2030, and
includes a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions
Thresholds and Guidance; and
WHEREAS, the CEQA GHG Emissions Threshold and Guidance includes a GHG
Checklist that provides that plans and projects that are consistent with the demographic forecasts
and land use assumptions used in the Climate Action Plan can utilize the checklist to demonstrate
consistency with the Climate Action Plan’s GHG emissions reduction strategy, and if consistent,
can tier from the existing programmatic environmental review contained in the adopted IS-ND for
the Climate Action Plan; and
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WHEREAS, the GHG Checklist is an administrative document that may be separately
updated by the City to include new GHG reduction measures or to comply with later amendments
to the 2020 Climate Action Plan; and
WHEREAS, the potential environmental impact of the Climate Action Plan for Community
Recovery and CEQA GHG Emissions Thresholds and Guidance has been evaluated in accordance
with the California Environmental Quality Act pursuant to an initial environmental study (EID 0275-
2020) and an Initial Study/Negative Declaration of environmental impact has been prepared and
circulated for public review and comment period from June 22, 2020 to July 22, 2020; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission, at the hearing on July 8, 2020, considered the
Climate Action Plan for Community Recovery, including the GHG Emissions Thresholds and
Guidance and proposed Initial Study/Negative Declaration and it’s consistency with the General
Plan, and recommend approval; and
WHEREAS, the Active Transportation Committee, at the meeting on July 16, 2020, reviewed
the Climate Action Plan for Community Recovery and unanimously recommended approval of the
plan.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of San Luis
Obispo as follows:
SECTION 1. Recitals. The recitals set forth above are hereby adopted as the findings of the
City in adopting the policies herein.
SECTION 2. Environmental Review. The City Council has determined that the adoption
of the proposed 2020 update to the City’s Climate Action Plan titled, Climate Action Plan for
Community Recovery, including the CEQA GHG Thresholds and Guidance document will not
create a substantial environmental effect as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act
(“CEQA”) and hereby adopts the Negative Declaration and directs staff to prepare and file a Notice
of Determination with the County Clerk within five working days of the execution of this
Resolution and approval of the Project and with the Office of Planning and Research.
SECTION 3. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Targets. The City Council adopts
carbon neutrality by 2035 or sooner as its community greenhouse gas emissions reduction target.
The City Council also adopts the following sector specific goals:
1. Carbon neutral government operations by 2030
2. 100 percent carbon free electricity by 2020
3. No net new building emissions from onsite energy use by 2020; 50 percent reduction in
existing onsite building emissions (after accounting for MBCP) by 2030
4. Achieve General Plan mode split objective by 2030; 40 percent of vehicle miles travelled
by electric vehicles by 2030
5. 75 percent diversion of landfilled organic waste by 2025; 90 percent diversion by 2035
6. Increase carbon sequestration on the San Luis Obispo Greenbelt and Urban Forest
through compost application-based carbon farming activities and tree planting;
ongoing through 2035
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SECTION 4. Qualified GHG Reduction Plan. The City Council finds after due
deliberation that the Climate Action Plan for Community Recovery will effectively serve as the
City’s “qualified” greenhouse gas emissions reduction plan and be used for CEQA streamlining
purposes consistent with CEQA Guidelines Section 15183.5(b)(1).
SECTION 5. 2020 Climate Action Plan for Community Recovery. The City Council
hereby approves the Climate Action Plan for Community Recovery including Volume 1, Volume
2, Technical Appendices, and the California Environmental Quality Act Greenhouse Gas
Emissions Thresholds and Guidance document.
Upon motion of Mayor Harmon, seconded by Vice Mayor Gomez, and on the following
roll call vote:
AYES: Council Member Christianson, Pease, Stewart, Vice Mayor Gomez and
Mayor Harmon
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
The foregoing resolution was adopted this 18th day of August 2020.
_____________________________________
Mayor Heidi Harmon
ATTEST:
____________________________________
Teresa Purrington
City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
_____________________________________
J. Christine Dietrick
City Attorney
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the official seal of the City
of San Luis Obispo, California, on _____________________.
_____________________________________
Teresa Purrington
City Clerk