BOARD MEETING DATE: January 8, 2010
AGENDA NO. 23
PROPOSAL:
Climate Change Committee
SYNOPSIS:
The Climate Change Committee met on Friday, December 18, 2009. Following is a summary of that meeting.
RECOMMENDED ACTIONS:
Receive and file.
for Dr. William Burke, Chair
Climate Change Committee
Attendance
The Climate Change Committee meeting was held on December 18, 2009 by teleconference. Board members who participated were Supervisor Josie Gonzales, Councilmember Tonia Reyes-Uranga and Mayor Miguel Pulido. Committee chair Dr. William Burke and Mayor Ron Loveridge were absent.
The meeting was chaired by Supervisor Gonzales and convened at 11:10 a.m.
Discussion Items
Update on SCAQMD Staff Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Verification Status
Jill Whynot, Director of Strategic Initiatives, provided an update on staff certifications for verification of GHG emission reports required by CARB. Four staff members have been certified as leads, and ten staff members have been certified as general verifiers. In addition, sector training was successfully passed by two staff for refineries and one for cement.
Staff is in discussion with CARB staff on interpretation of conflict of interest provisions, and is hopeful that there will be successful resolution of some outstanding issues; otherwise, AQMD verifiers’ ability to verify GHG emissions in the District will be extremely limited.
Update on Tree Planting Partnership
Ms. Whynot gave a briefing on the Tree Planting Partnership, which is one of the Chairman’s Initiatives for 2009. The first phase of funding was done in October, with 20 projects being funded for $686,700, resulting in $813,300 remaining out of the original $1.5 million designated for this program.
The program announcement was re-released, and 30 applications were received. Of these, staff recommends that 27 projects from 19 cities and 2 counties be funded. To do this, an additional $336,939 would be needed. Staff will recommend that this amount be taken from interest earned in the Rule 1309.1 Mitigation Fund. If this is approved, a total of 47 projects from 38 cities and 2 counties will result in over 48,000 student hours and over 11,000 trees planted. This item will go to the Board in January 2010.
Briefing on EPA Tailoring Rule
Barbara Baird, District Counsel, summarized changes that EPA is proposing to help prevent adding too many Title V permits and tens of thousands of permitting actions under Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD). If a different threshold is not set through rulemaking, the threshold currently used for criteria pollutants would apply, resulting in unmanageable workloads.
Ms. Baird highlighted key staff recommendations, including supporting the proposed threshold if it is delayed for one year for CO2 and an additional year for the other GHGs, and that PSD procedures be streamlined.
Mayor Pulido expressed support for staff’s recommendation and commented that staff should have a backup plan if EPA does not incorporate the suggestions. He stated that a case study of high global warming gases would be helpful to send to EPA. Supervisor Gonzales agreed that a backup plan would be wise. Ms. Baird indicated that staff was already starting work on amending existing rules and would work on other elements to make sure that there would be adequate planning for implementation.
Mayor Pulido left the meeting at 11:30 a.m.
Potential Reforestation Project for GHG Reductions
Aaron Katzenstein, Program Supervisor gave a presentation on a potential reforestation project for GHG reductions within the Station Fire burn area of the Angeles National Forest. SCAQMD has received CEQA mitigation fees from a Chevron El Segundo refinery project. For this purpose, staff has been studying different potential GHG reduction projects for their cost effectiveness. Reforestation is being considered as a cost effective way to obtain GHG reductions.
Staff noted they have been in conversation with Angeles National Forest staff regarding reforestation opportunities within the recent Station Fire burn area. Of the 161,189 acres that were burned during the station fire, 37,000 acres were forested land, of these forested acres, the Angeles Forest staff estimates 11,000 forested acres will need replanting. Current forestry replanting within the Angeles is planned to begin within Spring 2011 of 4,000 acres and remaining 7,000 acres in subsequent years. Currently the Angeles Forest does not have resources and funds for the replanting efforts. Staff estimated that helping reforestation within the Station Fire area will reduce 150 MT CO2 per acre over 100 years. Developing a reforestation project with $1.5 million will result in reforesting 1,870 acres, planting 560,000 trees, and reduce 280,000 MT CO2. Currently verifiable GHG reduction projects within National Forests must go through the National Forest Foundation, a congressionally chartered non-profit organization. GHG reductions developed with the National Forest Foundation cannot be traded and must be retired.
Staff proposed developing an MOU or contract with the National Forest Foundation for a reforestation project within the Station Fire areas of the Angeles Forest and using the $1.5million refinery mitigation money. If this project is successful, additional reforestation can also be means to pre-fund R 2702 – Greenhouse Gas Reduction Program. The committee expressed support for this item.
Other Business
There was no other business.
Public Comment
A representative from the Climate Action Reserve (CAR) mentioned that their organization can register offset projects that can be used for CEQA compliance, and encouraged staff to look into this.
A representative from the Los Angeles County Sanitation District commented that the thresholds proposed in the EPA’s GHG Tailoring Rule are too low. Using 10 tons or 25 tons NOx as a benchmark for major sources, the equivalent GHG emissions would be 100,000 or 250,000 MT/year of CO2e, respectively. Even at 25,000 MT/yr, there would be non-major sources brought into Title V and PSD permitting.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 11:45 a.m.
Attachment (DOC, 45k)
Attendance Roster