san antonio climate action plansan antonio climate action plan

The W.B. TX20 & TX21 Indivisible; Moms Clean Air Force; Kalpulli Ameyaltonal Tejaztlan; Public Citizen, Texas; Society of Native Nations; UNITE HERE; 350 SA; LULAC Concilio Zapatista; Southwest Workers Union; Sierra Club-Lone Star Chapter and the Alamo Group; Fuerza Unida; Headwaters at Incarnate Word; Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word; Esperanza Peace and Justice Center; Stone in the Stream/Roca en el Rio; Beautycounter; Environmental Defense Fund; Environment Texas; Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance; Vecinos de Mission Trails; imagineSanAntonio; American Indian Movement; Pro-Immigrant Coalition/Coalicion Pro-Inmigrante; Texas Drought Project; Texas Organizing Project; Carrizo-Comecrudo Nation; MOVE San Antonio; Bexar County Green Party; Martinez Street Womens Center; Domesticas Unidas; Carnalismo Brown Berets; Pax Christi; Missionary Catechists of Divine Providence; American Indians in Texas at the Spanish Colonial Missions; Bexar County Young Democrats; Citizens Climate Lobby; Willie Velasquez Institute; Energa Ma; U.S. Green Building Council, South Texas Region. We have not been involved in the development of the proposed climate action plan nor have we been briefed on it, Mary Rose Brown, NuStars executive vice president and chief administrative officer, said in an email. Sandoval said its likely the plan will be modified, based on feedback from the public, but she doesnt expect it to be watered down. Please reload the page and try again. Something went wrong. Staff also updated council members during Wednesdays B-session about the rollout of the citys new Resiliency, Energy Efficiency and Sustainability (REES) fund. Were simply resolving to reach a goal thats 30 years out, he said. According to the City of San Antonio's Climate Action & Adaptation Plan, adopted in 2019, greenhouse gas emissions need to decrease by 4-5% every year in order to meet goals of reducing emissions 41% by 2030, 71% by 2040, and reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. The most recently published draft of the climate plan gives the company much more time to sell gas to existing customers, and it allows it to offset climate emissions instead of eliminating them. Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window). Since then, the intensifying impacts of a changing climate have been irrefutable: increasing heat waves, worsening drought, and regional wildfires that blanket the city in smoke are becoming more commonplace. We know that our front-line communities our communities of color and low-income residents are going to experience the worst impacts.. The company suggested the text in blue. Spruce Power Plant. In order to effectively implement the CAAP and prioritize strategies, two externally recruited committees will be established: a Technical and Community Advisory Committee and a Climate Equity Advisory Committee. Texas burns far more gas than any other state, 14.9% of the US total. The city's chief sustainability officer, Doug Melnick, on Tuesday night . The result caps a two-year campaign of the Sierra Club and our many coalition allies with Climate Action SA. Like many cities across the US, the rapidly expanding and gentrifying Texas city is looking to shrink its climate footprint. Meanwhile, the citys Office of Sustainability spent much of 2020 focusing on internal aspects of SA Climate Ready, including training and establishing the committees. Among some business leaders, there is anger and resentment. By achieving the CAAP goals we can together lower our greenhouse gas emissions, address climate change and create a community that is healthy, connected, and vibrant. Last week, the San Antonio City Council voted 10-1 in favor of a climate plan intended to drive the City's climate pollution to zero by 2050 and better prepare residents for the extreme weather accelerated by global warming. By signing up, you are opting in to receive periodic communications from the Sierra Club. 10-1: San Antonio Council Embraces Climate Action There are only benefits from this kind of work.. Shane Johnson, the co-chair of the steering committee who works for the Sierra Club, called Texas Gas influence unnerving. The Technical & Community Advisory Committee is comprised of 24 Members total; 17 at-large members, 5 organizational members,1 research collaborator from Southwest Research Institute, and 1 Chair or Vice Chair of the SA Climate Ready Climate Equity Committee. That first draft showed clearly that the Sierra Club and our many partners within the Climate Action SA coalition were not able to get the plan San Antonio most needed. On May, 20, 2015, the lake was 10.7 percent full. Within the next decade, San Antonio will be much hotter than ever. The recommended strategies include switching to more renewable energy, reducing energy use in buildings and increasing the use of electric vehicles. The science behind plan is clear, she said. A Department of the City and County of San Francisco. Committee member Kelly Lyons, a biology professor at Trinity University, said it would be great if the bond package which includes money for drainage, flood control, and parks and recreation had categorized items focused on the CAAP or on sustainability and climate change. As the public process begins to unfold this week, the debate could center on how much impact San Antonio aspires to make. How much could it cost and where will the money come from? 2023 SF Environment. Gas is cheap, and affordability is a major concern in Austin, where families and people of color continue to get priced out of the fast-growing city. Last week, the San Antonio City Council voted 10-1 in favor of a climate plan intended to drive the City's climate pollution to zero by 2050 and better prepare residents for the acceleration of extreme weather being driven by global warming. The SA Climate Ready dashboard is a place for the San Antonio community to track progress toward climate goals and learn about ways to be part of the solution. The CAAP identifies 15 strategies and 68 actions grouped by eight focus areas shown in the table below. We are pleased to present you with the attached petition signatures calling for the establishment of the San Antonio Climate Action Plan. The first phase of that program has allotted a non-competitive $1 million to major metropolitan areas such as San Antonio to allow the creation of a climate plan, Coyle explained. Learn more about the 2019 Greenhouse Gas Inventory(PDF). Lone Star Sierra Club (District 5)greg.harman@sierraclub.org210.323.9834, Moms Clean Air Forcekhenagan@momscleanairforce.org210.870.9232, Public Citizenkwhite@citizen.org512-637-9462. How will the City adapt the CAAP to incorporate ever-evolving climate science and technology? Environmentalists, generally unhappy with the draft, will likely work in the coming weeks to insert more immediate and stronger methods of cutting emissions. PROHIBITED CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS Sign-up to receive updatesfrom SF Environment. At the same time, racial, social, and economic inequalities have also become more severe and pronounced. 10-1: San Antonio Council Embraces Climate Action - Sierra Club SAN ANTONIO - San Antonio now has a plan for climate change that aims to get the city to carbon neutral by 2050. Climate plan puts San Antonio on A-list - The Business Journals If we remove something, we need to replace it with something, she said. It offered to help the city to plant more trees to absorb climate pollution and to explore technologies to pull carbon dioxide out of the air both of which might help it to keep burning gas. In order to effectively implement the CAAP, two externally-recruited committees will be established: a Technical and Community Advisory Committee and a Climate Equity Advisory Committee. To begin addressing this problem, we call on the City of San Antonio to allocate adequate funding to develop a Climate Action Plan that sets clear goals up front for reducing citywide greenhouse gas emissions in every sector and establishes specific action items that will make meeting those goals possible. Date: August 10, 2020 SUBJECT: Request for Proposal (RFP) -Climate Action Plan Update Dear Consultant, You are invited to submit a proposal for the City of Los Altos Climate Action Plan update. Another public forum will be held Tuesday night at the Central Library. The City of San Antonio plans to utilize $1 million it is receiving from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to expand the reach and impact of the citys Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, staff told council members Wednesday. Lindsey Carnett covers the environment, science and utilities for the San Antonio Report. The gas lobby, the American Gas Association, has said it isnt actively coordinating support or lobbying for state laws to prohibit gas bans, but its internal records indicate a different story. The code includes regulations on matters such as zoning, rentals, protecting natural resources and historic preservation. Climate change is predicted to make San Antonio hotter and drier. The 2021 Climate Action Plan is a roadmap for meeting the City's emissions reduction goals. Nirenberg said theres no question that the city needs to take action. Below is a copy of the letter submitted on behalf of the Sierra Club, Public Citizen, and Moms Clean Air Force. The mission for this Committee includes advising City Staff/City Council on the implementation of the CAAP, and long-term sustainability plans, such as the SA Tomorrow Sustainability Plan. The San Antonio River could have been paved. "The Source" is a live call-in program airing Mondays through Thursdays from 12-1 p.m. Leave a message before the program at (210) 615-8982. Baugh has previously written about public housing, county government and transportation for the Express-News. Valero's Brian Donovan is unhappy with San Antonio's climate action In a letter to San Antonios chief sustainability officer Doug Melnick, she suggested the draft would be too costly for customers and might jeopardize grid reliability. The City exceeded this target and achieved a 40 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2018 compared to 2005. In addition to mitigation strategies, the CAAP identifies climate adaptation strategies to address the impacts of climate change such as extreme weather (large storms and heat waves), droughts, wildfires, and air pollution that afflict us. Im worried about people making their car payments., On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio climate plan stirs support, concerns. Its a critically important process, Nirenberg said. Please email. Those proposed revisions were shared with Floodlight, the Texas Observer and San Antonio Report, by the Climate Investigations Center, which obtained them through public records of communications between city officials and the company. As a result, the EPA could downgrade the areas air quality status from marginal nonattainment to moderate nonattainment, which would trigger additional rules that could increase costs for industry and impose a new emissions testing requirement for vehicles. Thats the job of the entire community over the next three decades, he said. She won. Were a complex and interesting state, we just happen to have a lot of energy resources, Harman said. It was a level of involvement that raised red flags among city employees. PDF SA CLIMATE READY - texas.planning.org While there is much to celebrate in the forward movement of our new Council, many questions remain about the project's scope of work, as well as its transparency and community inclusion. San Antonio mayor, council members speak out on climate change plan Considered the city's most ambitious climate plan yet, the nearly 100-page report calls for making the city carbon neutral by 2050 and reducing greenhouse gases by 40 percent by 2030. The lobbying in Austin is not unique. Four other state legislatures passed similar laws last year, and 12 more have seen proposals for them in 2021. The city, however, is revisiting the plan after a backlash to the industry-secured changes. Thats because some of them require technologies, like electric-powered fire engines and ambulances, that have yet to be developed, said Councilwoman Ana Sandoval, a champion of the plan and a climate expert. One of the most important categories of the CAAP highlights the need for increased awareness and education related to climate impacts, lowering emissions and building resilience in San Antonio. In September, when the company seemed to be losing the fight over the proposal, it sent an email to customers claiming it would severely drive up costs and threatens to take away the rights of people to choose their source of energy. People wait in long lines at HEB grocery store in Austin, Texas, on 17 February. Medina Lake nearly went dry during the drought earlier this decade, one of the worst on record. So far, that debate is yet to be had. The Technical and Community Advisory Committee is looking to create a separate committee to focus on reducing greenhouse gases, with an emphasis on Spruce. But even so, Austinites dont necessarily want gas, said Chelsea Gomez, a community ambassador who consulted on the city plan. By July, employees of the companys parent corporation, One Gas, were weighing in on the proposals from their headquarters in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Energy use in buildings and industry accounts for 48 percent of greenhouse gases in San Antonio, according to the CAAP report. Besides advising the city on priorities and how to implement the plan, the technical advisory group is tasked with providing an annual progress report to the City Council. When you talk to people, they dont want natural gas as a middle man to a sustainable future they want solar panels to be affordable for them, said Gomez. But the depth of suffering we may avert by rapidly decarbonizing our economy, strengthening our municipal resilience, and building stronger communities of common concern across the city is up to us. When: Monday, 5 to 6 p.m., sign up to speak; 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., meeting, Where: La Villita Assembly Building, 401 Villita St. Free parking in the Navarro Street garage, 126 Navarro, I think its a huge step for San Antonio, said Doug Melnick, the citys chief sustainability officer. Ozone pollution, which affects air quality, comes from a combination of heat and sunlight, nitrogen oxide gas released from cars and trucks, and volatile organic compounds from activities such as construction and painting. Sierra Club and "Explore, enjoy and protect the planet" are registered trademarks of the Sierra Club. The area missed the deadline to bring ozone concentration under the federal limit, which was lowered in 2018. Such work, Melnick said, includes things such as improving city buildings efficiency, developing vehicle procurement and management policies, and training staff and advisory committee members. The creation of committees vital to CAAPs framework was slowed, and once formed, their virtual meetings were not very productive. We have to chip away at it using strategies that add up.. For CPS, conversations on Spruce, sustainability and climate change have been pushed aside to varying degrees by the pandemic and Februarys winter storm. The fossil fuel also has clear climate impacts. San Antonio City Council adopts climate change plan - KSAT.com The 2021 San Francisco Climate Action Plan (the Plan) charts a pathway to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and works toward addressing racial and social equity, public health, economic recovery, resilience, and providing safe and affordable housing to all. Psychologist dies while awaiting indictment on indecency charge, Female inmate dies in custody at Bexar County annex, Carlos Uresti released from prison, enters halfway house, Friends, family say Melissa Perez found the good in everything. Watch the replay of the 2021 Climate Action Plan launch event. The gas industry is battling climate change reforms in cities around the US with support from Republican politicians. A draft plan in 2019 refused that approach, but the utility kept pushing back. Phase two of the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant will allot funds to metropolitan areas for the implementation of their climate plans. There is no silver bullet. If were making improvements to buildings, lets make them more efficient, Melnick said. Learn more about SA Climate Ready - Espaol(PDF). Campus Police (909 . Another internal association email in February 2020 shows the senior director of state affairs, Daniel Lapato, asking a publicly-owned gas utility to back the Tennessee bill that ultimately passed. Already, the issue is taking on some of the fractious overtones seen in larger forums: environmental advocates are calling the plan too weak while some business leaders, particularly in the fossil fuel industry, see it as a potential economic defeat. The development of this data-driven, people-focused plan brought together City departments, residents, community-based organizations, and businesses to collaborate on creating solutions. In 2013, San Francisco updated its Climate Action Plan which summarized the City's progress to date, shared examples of successful policies and programs, and outlined an initial set of actions to be taken by citizens, businesses, and government to strive toward emission reductions. Meaningful public participation should drive the development of the plan, and goals should be set based on the scientific consensus on climate change. City of San Antonio to implement solar projects to expand climate and Adoption of an updated, comprehensive Master Plan . It might be expensive to plant trees, but they pull (carbon dioxide) from the atmosphere, and they provide shade. CAAP 2022 is the successor to Climate Action Plan (CAP), 2013, which targeted a 15 percent reduction in carbon emission by the year 2020 using 2005 as baseline. Instead of reducing its sales to customers, Texas Gas wanted to counterbalance its climate emissions with energy efficiency efforts and offsets. We look forward to engaging with you over the coming weeks, months and years. All rights reserved. I do know that theres concern from the business industries that live in San Antonio, particularly those in the oil-and-gas industry, and also the ones that sell cars any that have to do with fossil fuels, he said. Oct. 14, 2019 San Antonio's decision to create the River Walk was visionary, and so is the proposed Climate Action and Adaptation Plan. To view an archive of the 2020-21 public engagement process, including the kick-off event with Mayor London N. Breed and other workshop replays, visit the SF Environment YouTube Channel. She is a Trinity University alum with bachelors degrees in Communication and Spanish, and a Master of Arts Degree from the School of Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin. At a recent San Antonio Chamber of Commerce meeting, a chamber official responding to a question about the gravity of the plan suggested that two major companies headquartered here NuStar Energy and Valero have threatened to pull their operations out of San Antonio if the plan is adopted, sources at the meeting confirmed. Spruce (right) and Deely (left stack) on Calaveras Lake Thursday January 4, 2018. San Antonio energy giant Valero Energy Corp. is not onboard with the city's plan to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. More information can be found on the City Clerks website. In December 2017, the SA Climate Ready SA Climate Ready is San Antonio's plan to meet the present and future challenges of a changing climate, building on actions already enacted for (modern). The $1 million will come from the IRAs two-phased Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program, said Assistant City Manager Jeff Coyle. We are increasingly active in the States, the associations president, Karen Harbert, said in a November letter to members explaining how the organization spent membership dues in 2020. Approximately two years later, on October 17, 2019, City Council adopted the CAAP by Ordinance 2019-10-17-0840. But Janie Gonzalez, a member of CPS board, said that doesnt mean the utility isnt still thinking about reducing greenhouse gases. We have to realize that there is a reality in the world that the climate is changing, and thats irrespective of what caused it and what your belief system may be about that reality, he said. The Deely plant has since been retired. So its initial plan was to virtually eliminate gas use in new buildings by 2030 and existing ones by 2040. This will call for government, businesses, and the community to collaborate on putting ideas into action. The SA Climate Ready Climate Action & Adaptation Plan requires the Office of Sustainability to complete a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory every two years. Slides from Opening Meeting, Fall 2015. . Environment The City of San Antonio to expand climate plan with $1M in federal funding by Lindsey Carnett June 7, 2023 San Antonio plans on refreshing its climate plan with the $1 million it is receiving from the Inflation Reduction Act. San Antonio Is Moving Backwards on Climate Action | Sierra Club Thank you for your service and attention to this critical challenge. San Antonio climate action plan: Time for the public to weigh in, State fines police union for 2021 campaign finance violation. Greg Harman, the Sierra Clubs clean energy organizer and member of the plans steering committee, said theres often resistance to taking action on climate change because people fear negative consequences, like being told their lives will change, foods will be banned or transportation options limited. Read the2021 San Francisco Climate Action Plan. It replaced electric vehicles with alternative fuel vehicles, which could run on compressed natural gas. KTPR 89.9 - Stanton, TX and KVHL 91.7 - Llano, TX are currently off air. A few months after the gas companys lobbying efforts, the city moved the goalposts: Only 25 percent of existing buildings would need to transition off gas by 2030, although all new buildings would have to be off gas by then too. But there are different voices at the table with varying ideas on what the plants future could look like. That feedback will be analyzed in January and published in February; the results are expected to help the city implement strategies for mitigation and adaptation. Mayors Youth Engagement Council for Climate Initiatives welcomes City of San Antonio deploys local solar projects to support its Mayors Youth Engagement Council for Climate Initiatives and Local Rick Cavender | At-large, Automotive Industry, Karen Guz, San Antonio Water System | Organizational Member, Kammy Horne, VIA Metropolitan Transit | Organizational Member, Marvin Pair, Joint Base San Antonio | Organizational Member, Angela Rodriguez, CPS Energy | Organizational Member, Miriam Juckett, Southwest Research Institute | Research Collaborator, The Chair or Vice-Chair of the Climate Equity Committee, The Chair or Vice-Chair of the Technical and Community Advisory Committee. Your answers will give us a critical insight into what you expect (and want) from the San Antonio Report.