San Diego Environment Committee Meeting: Climate, Energy, and Bicycle Plans Discussed on September 29, 2017
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San Diego Environment Committee Meeting: Climate, Energy, and Bicycle Plans Discussed on September 29, 2017
The Environment Committee of the San Diego City Council met on September 29, 2017, at 2:00 PM in Council Chambers. The meeting covered a range of environmental and infrastructure topics, including approvals for Pure Water financing, updates on climate change research, a detailed discussion on Community Choice Aggregation (CCA), and endorsements for the Bicycle Master Plan implementation. The meeting was adjourned at approximately 5:30 PM.
Consent Calendar
- Item 1: Approved an agreement with UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography for continued support of real-time ocean observing systems for the Point Loma and South Bay Ocean Outfalls. Approved unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Non-Agenda Public Comment: Daniel Smyakowski spoke about community choice energy and his campaigns, as well as homeless encampments along the river that are contaminating the water and environment. He emphasized the need for cleanup before the rainy season.
Discussion Items
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Items 3 & 4: Pure Water Program SRF Loans (Water and Wastewater Systems) – Staff presented a request to authorize applications for Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) loans for eight projects (five for water totaling $759 million; three for wastewater totaling $508 million). These loans would fund up to 100% of project costs plus 10% contingency. The Pure Water Program aims to provide 30 million gallons per day by fiscal year 2022. Staff also noted that the EPA had invited the city to apply for a WIFIA loan of up to $492 million as a supplementary funding source. Councilmember Sherman made a motion to approve, seconded by Councilmember Cate. Both items passed unanimously.
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Item 5: Climate Change Research Update from Scripps Institution of Oceanography – Dr. Veerabhadran Ramanathan presented on global climate projections, warning of a 1-in-20 chance of catastrophic climate change by 2050, and urging local adaptation measures such as white rooftops and urban forestry. Dr. Helen Amanda Fricker presented on sea level rise, noting a 98% probability of at least one foot of sea level rise by 2100 in La Jolla, and a 3% chance of five feet. She emphasized the need for long-term planning for coastal infrastructure. This was an informational item; no action was taken.
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Item 6: 100% Renewable Energy Pathway Update (CCA Feasibility Study) – Staff and consultants presented the CCA feasibility study, which concluded that a CCA is feasible and could offer competitive rates, though not at 100% renewable on day one. The study projected the CCA could work towards 80% renewable within a few years and potentially 100% over time. Public comments were extensive, with strong opinions both for and against moving forward. Dr. Lynn Reaser, representing Point Loma Nazarene University, questioned the study's assumptions and warned of financial risks, citing the collapse of a Chicago CCA and rising exit fees. Frank Orta from Sempra Services emphasized the need to understand costs and reduce emissions through new renewable projects. Supporters, including representatives from Climate Action Campaign and San Diego 350, urged moving forward to achieve 100% renewable energy and invest in communities. Staff noted they would continue research and return with a full package of options in December.
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Item 7: San Francisco's Community Choice Aggregation Presentation – Barbara Hale, Assistant General Manager of San Francisco's Power Enterprise, presented on San Francisco's CCA program, Clean Power SF. She reported that the program has served 93 megawatts peak, has an opt-out rate of 3.4%, and offers a default product with 40% renewable content at rates slightly lower than PG&E's. She noted that CCA programs can enter long-term contracts for new renewable projects and highlighted examples of community reinvestment. This was informational; no action was taken.
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Item 2: Bicycle Advisory Committee's Strategic Implementation Plan – The committee recommended an implementation plan for the Bicycle Master Plan, containing six objectives and 30 tasks covering engineering, education, enforcement, encouragement, and evaluation. Public speakers supported the plan, urging the city to move forward to improve safety and increase ridership. Councilmember Ward made a motion to approve, seconded by Councilmember Sherman. The item passed unanimously.
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Item 9: Winter Storm Preparation and Channel Prioritization – Staff presented the annual report on the Master Storm Water System Maintenance Program and channel prioritization. They identified 187 channels inspected, with Nestor Creek and Tijuana River Valley maintenance planned. The public, including Clarissa Falcon and Melanie Cohn, expressed support for the program and urged faster permitting, especially for the Dunhill and Roselle Street channels. This was informational; no action was taken.
Key Outcomes
- Approved the agreement with Scripps Institution of Oceanography (unanimous).
- Approved SRF loan applications for Pure Water Program (water and wastewater) with two unanimous votes.
- Approved the Bicycle Advisory Committee's Strategic Implementation Plan (unanimous).
- No votes were taken on information items (Items 5, 6, 7, 9).
- Staff will continue research on CCA and return with a recommendation in December.
- The next Environment Committee meeting is scheduled for November 2, 2017.
Notes
- The meeting was originally scheduled for 2:00 PM but was moved to 9:00 AM to accommodate the lengthy agenda. The agenda listed the meeting at 2:00 PM, but the transcript indicates it began at 9:00 AM, which is the time provided in the instructions. The discrepancy is noted.
- The Sustainable Energy Advisory Board report was postponed to the November 2 meeting.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon, everybody. Thank you for being here. I'm calling to order our September 29th, 2017 environment committee meeting. All council members on the committee are present. First thing we'll take up is the record of action approval of the record of action items from our July 20th, 2017 meeting. Okay. It's approved by unanimous consent. We will start uh now with non-agenda public comment. This is a chance for people who speak on items not on today's agenda. We have one speaker, uh Daniel Smyakowski. You'll have two minutes. Now it goes on. Now they turn it on at the end of my other issue I want to talk about is community choice energy. I've made three motions on the Claremont Planning Group. Each motion failed. And I'm not quitting my campaign. Until I'm elected until I win. Thank you. Thank you. We also have that item on today's agenda if you'd like to speak more on that item. Um it's item number six. Um you can see some of the issues with the homeless encampments we're dealing with. That's the urban core there in their in their hazard suits, making sure that there's no contamination, but it's uh a giant cleanup. It's right on the water's edge, and there was a lot of trash right in the water on the uh uh along the river there. And the most disturbing part is this site was cleaned up spotless about five weeks ago. And in five weeks, this is the kind of stuff that was brought back in. You know, we're trying to rotate, we're trying to keep up. But the rainy season is coming, and you know, as soon as we get a good solid rain, all of this material will end up in the river and then in the ocean. So just wanted to bring the people's attention. You know, we gave them the 72-hour notice to gather their belongings and leave, you know, because of the lawsuit settlement. And this is what was left behind. So it's uh it's a serious problem that we're continuing to work with. Um doing some work with the River Conservancy to get some grant money for clearing out a lot of the invasive species in the river bottom as well, which will help take away places and with everything that's going on, we need to get these people to to help, and we need to get them to quit destroying our environment this way. So thank you. Thank you very much for bringing that to our attention. Uh as you probably know, Councilmember Zaf and I uh also have requested that more action be taken on the river. I appreciate your update on that. Um I wasn't aware of what action had been being taken place, so that is good to know. Appreciate your work on that and hopefully more to come. This is an important issue. Um any other member of the committee wish to comment make a comment not at this time. The does the uh IBA or um oh, let me just inform everybody. Item number eight, which we had on today's agenda is a report from the Sustainable Energy Advisory Board, is now being returned to staff to be heard at the next meeting for this committee, which is November 2nd. Um I'll move on to um mayoral city attorney or IBA comment. The mayor's office would like to make a comment. Yes, thank you, Chair Alvarez. I just wanted to provide a brief update on behalf of our public utilities department. Um back on June 27th of 2017, the public utilities department brought forward to City Council a resolution to enter an agreement with the county, um, an MOU to address the sustainable groundwater management plan to um for the development of the San Pasqual groundwater basin. And council requested that staff come back work with the county and come back to provide an update. I just wanted to share with you that at the November 2nd um environment committee, the city staff will come and provide a full report.
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