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Home My WebLink AboutRCC AGENDA PK 1992/05/11MEMORANDUM DA: May 5, 1992 TO: Chair and Committee Members -Resource Conservation Commission FR: Barbara Bamberger, Environmental Resource Manager Enclosed please find for your review the "Environmental Agenda for the 90's" Council Agenda Statement, which was approved by the City Council on April 7th, 1992. Items A -the COz Reduction Package; B -The Toxics Reduction Program; and C -Water Conservation Package within the Agenda Statement will be brought back io the RCC for review and recommendations over the next 90 days. Please note that item "C", the Water Conservation Package will be brought back to the RCC for review at the July meeting. If you would like to discuss the details of this report, please contact Barbara Bamberger at 691-5296. COUNCIL AGENDA STATEMENT Item Meeting Date ITEM TITLE: Report on the progress of the Mayor's "Environmental Agenda for the 90's" SUBMITTED BY: Environmental Resource Manager REVIEWED BY: City Manager On September 7, 1991, the Resource Conservation Commission voted to support the Mayor's Environmental Agenda as a working document and approved the document as an adoption of goals. The RCC requested that, when appropriate, staff would later bring back an in-depth, item-by-item review of the issues within the Environmental Agenda. Consequently, on October 15th, 1991 the City Council directed staff to review each item within Mayor Nader's Environmental Agenda for the 90's and return to the Council with a recommendation on how to proceed. As a result of this review, staff has developed programs for three issues considered priority items within the 57 points of the agenda; our recommendation is to develop a comprehensive program based on the following three items: a) A Comprehensive CO2 Reduction Program; b) Toxics Reduction Ordinance; and, c) Water Conservation Package. [terns (a), (b) and (c) are recommended to be referred to the Resource Conservation Commission and brought forward for an item-by-item review. RECOMMENDATIONS: Accept the report in concept and refer Items (a), (b) and (c) to the RCC for review and recommendations to be brought back to the City Council for adoption. BOARDS/COMMISSIONS RECOMMENDATION: The RCC reviewed and approved in concept the original 57 points included in the Environmental Agenda for the 90's. After extensive meetings with staff from the various departments which will be involved with implementing the 57 points within the Environmental Agenda, there was a perceived need to initially narrow the focus down to a few of the 57 issues in order to begin the development process of creating programs and drafting ordinances relating to the 57 points. The following are the recommended priorities devised as a result of these various staff conferences: A) CO2 Program and Energy Reduction Package The CO2 Program would emphasize an overall approach that the City would undertake to do its part in reducing CO2 emissions. Some of these items have been included in other City Council referrals, but may be in the process of revisions or clarifications. These items have an * next to them. The CO2 Reduction Package would include the following items within the Environmental Agenda: ITEM # ISSUE (as listed in the Environmental Agenda) 18 Indoor Smoking Law.* 44 Restriction on sale of ozone depleting products. 7 Transportation Demand Management Plan*. 21 City Procurement policy regarding ozone depleting chemicals. 51 Conservation finance authority to provide loans for energy and water conservation improvements. 36 Tree Preservation Ordinance. 24 Chloroflourocarbon reduction legislation. 12 Air quality maintenance program for city equipment. 13 Procurement Policy for Clean fuels. B) Toxics Reduction Program The purpose of a Toxics Reduction Program is to audit chemicals used within the City itself and replace, where possible, those chemicals with safe-substitutes. The Toxics Reduction program would also work to create an educational program, called "SMART" (Save Money and Reduce Toxics) aimed at businesses to encourage the replacement of highly toxic chemicals with safer-substitutes. The program would include a toxic waste reduction ordinance and a pilot lead abatement program of which funding may be available through the state and/or federal government. ITEM # ISSUE (as listed in the Environmental Agenda) 39 Toxic Waste Reduction Ordinance. 20 Replacement program for chemicals used by the City. C) Water Conservation Package This package would develop water conservation incentive programs. The proposal is consistent with the City's goal in developing an Interim Water Offset Policy. A subcommittee of the Interagency Water Task Force met on October 21, 1991 and again on February 12, 1992 to begin developing language for a Water Offset Policy. These included the following items: technique of calculating a fee to look at other offset programs within the region, local water district needs, CWA participation agreements, offset charges, and the impacts on affordable housing, as well as the cost and impact of the Clean Water Program on water reclamation. Planning for the Water Conservation Package, including the proposed Water Offset Policy, would include a cooperative effort with the Ad Hoc Interagency Water Task Force, and will be forwarded to the Interagency Water Task Force; in turn the Water Conservation Package could potentially fund a rebate retrofit pilot program. Planning for a water conservation package would include a cooperative effort with the Ad Hoc Subcommittee of the Interagency Water Task Force, as well as a review by the Interagency Water Task Force itself. This package may also include a potential retrofit resale ordinance to be drafted and brought back to Council. The goal of the Water Conservation package is to reduce the Cit}~s quantitative contributions to the Point Loma sewage treatment system, and subsequently reduce the overall cost to the Cit}~s ratepayers for the planned upgrades for the Metro sewage treatment system. ITEM # ISSUE (as listed in the Environmental Agenda) 52 Residential retrofit Ordinance. 51 Conservation Finance Authority to provide loans for energy and water conservation improvements. 49 Alternatives to continued participation in the metro sewer system. STAFF IMPACT'S Upon City Council approval of each issue included in the Environmental Agenda, we have designated a particular department to become the lead staff for each item (please see Appendix A). Items (a), (b) and (c) are individual packages of numerous issues, each of which must be reviewed separately. The overall implementation of each package will be the responsibility of the Administration Department. It is possible to begin the CO2 Reduction Program and the Toxics Reduction Program reviews immediately, and we estimate that the entire package for (a) and (b) could be implemented, in a sequential fashion, over the next 12 months. Because review for item (c) has already begun as part of the Planning Department's water offset policy issue paper, we will continue with that review and plan to bring back a proposal on the water offset policy in 60 days and follow up with the water retrofit resale policy 30 days later. Prior to any staff assignments, we will review the current workload of staff to analyze if any of these items are currently being dealt with, in order to remove any repetitiveness. Any future staff workload necessary to implement Items a, b, and c will be evalauted and brought back to the City Council on an item-by-item basis. Initially, any staff preparation needed for RCC review is projected to fit within the following departments' current workload: Planning, Administration, Park and Recreation, and the Quality of Work Life Committee. Staff needs for item (b) will primarily come from the Public Works Department, with some assistance from the Park and Recreation Department. Staffing for Item (c) will include Administration, Building and Housing Department, and Engineering. Much of the initial staff time will be dedicated to preparing analysis for the RCC to determine the direction of potential ordinances with regards to each issue. It is believed the start-up work of these items will not result in an additional work load, and will fit within the work of each department for items (a), (b) and (c). We plan to evaluate the work time needed for each item on an item-by-item basis, and will include this evaluation as part of the review process for each item. FISCAL IMPACTS At this time, there is no fiscal impact. As each issue is brought back to the City Council over the next year, we will examine any potential fiscal impacts on an item-by-item basis. Any economic impacts will be considered at that time as well. APPENDIX A ITEM IMPLEMENTATION DEPARTMENT LEAD expected to be Complex/Simple AIR OUALtI'Y 6 Public Transit S Planning/Assist: Transit near Employment 7 Transp. Dem Mgmt C Administration/Assist: Transit 8 City TDM C Transit 12 Air Quality Maint. S Public Works for City Equipment 13 Procurement Policy for Clean Fuels S Env Res. Mgr/ Assist: Public Works 8 Indoor Smoking Law S Env Res. Mgr/Finance/ QWL 21 Procurement policy re ozone layer S Env Res. Mgr/Finance 22 Auto Air Cond Ordinance C Env Res. Mgr/Assist: Public Works 24 Chlorofluorocarbon Legis C Env Res. Mgr 36 Tree Preservation ordinance S Planning/Assist: Park & Rec. 37 Arbor Day Program S Park & Rec/Planning 44 Sale of ozone depleting products C Administration/Attorney ITEM IMPLEMENTATION DEPARTMENT LEAD expected to be Complex/Simple TRANSPORTATION 1 Growth Moratorium Pending Transit C Engineering/Planning 3 CIP for bike lanes S Engineering/Assist:Park &Rec. 4 Mixed Use Zone C Planning/Com. Dev./Administration 5 Street Design Ord. C Engineering/Planning 9 Bicycle Pkg. Facilities S Engineering/planning ADMINISTRATION 10 EIR Payment Policy S Planning 11 EIR Consultant Policy S Planning 26 Pks &Rec Comm. Input S Planning/Community Development 29 Ping. Comm/RCC Input S Planning/Community Development PARKS & OPEN SPACE 27 Acquisition Assessment Districts C Park &Rec./Assist: Public Works 28 Open Space Zone C Platming 30 Sensitive Lands Ord C GROWTH MANAGEMENT PLANNING 32 Stop Development with Park & Rec/Planning/Assist: Env Res. Mgr. Threshold Violation C Planning ITEM IMPLEMENTATION DEPARTMENT LEAD expected to be Complex/Simple 33 Threshold changes re cost/quality C Planning 34 New Development Cover Operating Costs S Planning 35 Commission latitude on recommendations S Administration 38 RFP for job training needs C Community Development 55 Neighborhood Ping Groups C Planning TOXIC WASTE 19 Removal of Lead in Homes S Building & Housing 20 Chemicals used by City S Public Works/Park &Rec. 39 Toxic Waste Reduc. Ordinance S Public Works/Park &Rec. 47 Tonic Disclosure S Administration/ Env Res. Manager 48 RCC Review of Toxic Waste Generation S Planning ENERGY & WATER 14 Public Energy Distribution Utility C Planning/Admin ITEM IMPLEMENTATION DEPARTMENT LEAD expected to be Complex/Simple 49 Metro Sewer System C (in process) Engineering 51 Conservation Finance Authority for Energy/ Water C 52 Residential Sale - Energy/Water Retrofit S 53 Drought Tolerant Landscaping C 54 Reclaimed Water Plan C 56 RCC - Qtrly. Environ- mental articles S Administration/Env Res. Mgr Building & Housing Planning/Parks &Rec Park &Rec./Env Res. Mgr Planning/Administration