HomeMy WebLinkAboutClimate Action Subcommittee Report 9 October 2024 1
Meeting Report:
Standing Subcommittee
on Climate Action
PRESENTED FOR COMMISSION MEETING DATE: 19 November
2024
SUBMITTED BY: Roy Clark, Chair
SUBCOMMITTEE NAME: Standing Subcommittee on Climate Action DATE SUBMITTED: 6 November 2024
SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBERS: Roy Clark, Kathy Cohn, Bernard
Rottner, Prema Walker
NEXT SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING: 13
November 2024
SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING DATE: 9 October 2024
Subcommittee Goal: Develop and recommend policies and plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the City of
Palm Springs by 40% from 1990 levels by 2030. (Reference: Palm Springs Climate Action Roadmap, dated 28 October
2021) and develop and recommend policies and plans to assist Palm Springs residents adapt to ongoing climate change.
Summary of meeting
Sustainability Specialist Wheeler announced that there would be a meeting of commissioners with the Zoning code consultants
Thursday morning October 17, at 9:00 (subsequently changed to 10:00). He also announced that CVAG had developed a valley -
wide greenhouse gas survey. He encouraged commissioners to reply and forward the survey to other people who live in the
valley.
Presentation: Energy-Efficient Upgrade Ordinance, Juliet Shane Agtang, Sustainability fellow sponsored by the Inland
Regional Energy Network (IREN). David Freedman, CVAG/I-REN Program Manager and former commissioner was present.
• The presentation gave a preview of a City ordinance that would require single family buildings built before 2011
which are undergoing remodeling or alterations or are having additions to make certain energy -efficient upgrades.
The objective is to get older homes in Palm Springs to get as close as possible to the current energy code.
• Reduction in the use of fossil fuels is also an objective.
• The ordinance will include reach codes, local building energy codes that “reach” beyond existing state minimum
requirements.
• Examples of types of building projects that ordinance would apply to were provided in the presentation and in a
staff report distributed prior to the meeting,
• Examples of energy-efficient upgrades were also provided.
• Financial assistance would be available to low-income homeowners.
• There was discussion about specific upgrades and the need to identify and train local energy auditors.
• Over a 10-year period this ordinance would result in approximately a 1% reduction in greenhouse gas emission
from the estimated 2020 levels in the City.
• The ordinance is still under review by the legal department. The expectation is that it will be available for review at
the November 13 Subcommittee meeting and the November 19 Commission meeting.
• The target is to present the ordinance to the City Council for a first reading at the second meeting in January.
2
Recommendations/Requests to Subcommittee
Continue to prioritize presentations to the subcommittee on organizations and on-going activities, internal and external to
the City
Airport expansion (Ref: Jan 25, 2024, City Council Meeting) (Airport General Manager)
Convention Center
Bicycle routes (Sustainability Specialist Wheeler and Engineering)
City fleet electrification (Director McCloy)
Sustainable transportation planning and EV charging
Parks Master Plan
New, as of March 13, 2024:
Energy-efficient construction, include LEED
Training to do energy audits, such as interface with the College of the Desert
Sustainability education program
Vehicle maintenance program with the College of the Desert
New as of May 8:
Commissioner Walker requested that the Office Sustainability look into potential community change grants under
the Inflation Reduction Act
Request To Commission Read this report and tell Subcommittee what you would like discussed
in more detail in Commission meeting
Request To Office of Sustainability Expand outreach and education to City Council, City staff, and other
commissions; meeting notices and written messaging; integrate
sustainability with other organizations
Support new activities:
Perform GHG inventory, 2020 update and new 2022 (CVAG and
PlaceWorks)
Identify the number of houses in the City with solar panels
Identify the number of electric vehicles registered in the City by
recent year
Survey how EV drivers in the City charge their vehicles
Investigate EV rideshare programs to serve disadvantaged areas
and Navigation Center
Potential Fiscal Impact/Request Unknown
Could be a lot of money required in the long term to implement
strategic activities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions