Responsible Resource Use

State Policy Priorities

• Water Action Plan and Energy Action Plan (established resource loading orders)
• AB 1007 Alternative [Transportation] Fuels Plan
• Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS)
• California Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan (CEESP)
• AB 32 California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006

Primary Goals

• Preserve and protect natural resources
  Objectives:

  • Protect sensitive biological resources, wetlands and wildlife corridors
  • Encourage increased vegetation, additional wildlife habitat areas, etc.
  • Protect productive agricultural soils

  
  Strategies:

  • Protect water supplies by eliminating polluted runoff into groundwater basins and natural waterways, including rivers, lakes and coastal zones
  • Protect watersheds
• Reduce energy consumption in the built environment
  Objectives:

  • Significantly reduce energy consumption (electricity, oil and natural gas) and peak electric demand
  • Integrate energy efficiency into design, construction and operations
  • Foster early adoption of new efficient technologies

  
  Strategies:

  • Reduce energy consumption by City facilities, equipment and operations while encouraging residents and businesses to do the same
  • Require/encourage efficient design and zero net energy in new construction
  • Encourage/adopt new efficient systems, equipment, practices and technologies
• Increase long-term water and energy security
  Objectives:

  • Reduce energy and water consumption:
  • Require/encourage efficient design and technologies to maximize resource and materials efficiency while minimizing environmental impacts and preserving natural resources
  • Develop new environmentally preferred resources: water, energy, and transportation fuels

  
  Strategies:

  • Avoid use of energy, water and fuels
  • Maximize efficient use of energy, water and fuels through more efficient designs, operations, systems, processes, practices, technologies and equipment
  • Establish and enforce green building certifications, codes and standards
  • Develop and adopt an urban heat island mitigation plan
  • Avoid use of potable water for non-potable uses (e.g., irrigation)
  • Fully integrate resources and land use planning and development
• Reduce reliance on fossil fuels by meeting the City’s energy through renewable resources
  Objectives:

  • Shift the City’s reliance on energy produced with fossil fuels to local renewable energy supplies
  • Promote and use zero emissions energy production technologies

  
  Strategies:

  • Increase development and use of renewable energy
  • Promote and use zero emissions energy technologies including solar thermal or photovoltaics, wind, and fuel cells
• Increase ability to meet local water demand through reliable, safe and high quality water supplies
  Objectives:

  • Significantly reduce water consumption
  • Reduce use of potable water for non-potable uses
  • Increase availability of local supplies
  • Foster early adoption of new efficient technologies

  
  Strategies:

  • Reduce water consumption by City facilities, equipment and operations
  • Apply water supplies of quality and type to the appropriate end use
  • Increase environmentally responsible local supplies and storage
  • Encourage/adopt new efficient systems, equipment, practices and technologies for water treatment, delivery and/or use
• Reduce GHG and other adverse environmental impacts from use and/or development of resources
  Objectives:

  • Reduce consumption of fossil fuels, both direct and indirect
  • Reduce use of hazardous materials
  • Prioritize development of environmentally preferred (low impact) water, energy, and fuels

  
  Strategies:

  • Environmentally benign water supplies and storage
  • Displace fossil energy with clean and renewable resources
  • Develop alternative clean transportation fuels and technologies
  • Maximize use of recycled water

Potential Actions

• Water
  • Avoid use of potable water for landscape irrigation
  • Increase water use efficiency and reduce system losses (e.g., leakage, evaporation)
  • Increase use of recycled water for authorized non-potable purposes
  • Encourage rain water collection for outdoor irrigation
  • Protect surface and groundwater (e.g., stormwater management, barriers, hazardous materials management) and prevent migration outside of local basin
  • Identify/promote promising new water use, treatment and delivery technologies
  • Provide incentives for early adopters of new technologies
• Energy Efficiency
  • Avoid use of energy and increase efficiency of energy use (e.g., energy efficient equipment, design and operations)
  • Minimize electric use during high demand (summer and critical peak) periods and participate in demand response programs
  • Require Energy Star for all existing facilities
  • Require all new construction be designed to zero net energy and/or provide incentives: plan checks, permitting, entitlements
  • Identify/promote promising new technologies
  • Provide incentives for early adopters
• Renewable Energy
  • Displace fossil-fueled energy sources with renewable alternatives
  • Preserve renewable energy (e.g., solar access) opportunities
  • Develop City-owned renewable resources (e.g., biogas from wastewater treatment operations, solar photovoltaics on City facilities, wind on City owned lands, methane from landfills, etc.) and encourage constituents to do the same
  • Investigate opportunities for Cities and its residents, businesses, developers and other stakeholders to develop and use zero emissions energy resources and technologies