PREPARED BY: SANDRA CASTANEDA DATE OF MEETING: 01/16/2024
SUBJECT:
TITLE
CONSIDER ADOPTING A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF THE ADOPTION OF THE “PATH TO CLEAN AIR: RICHMOND, NORTH RICHMOND, AND SAN PABLO COMMUNITY EMISSIONS REDUCTION PLAN” BY THE AB 617 COMMUNITY STEERING COMMITTEE AND THE BAY AREA AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT DISTRICT
CEQA: Adopting a resolution in support of the adoption of a Community Emissions Reduction Plan does not constitute a “project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378(b)(5) in that it is a governmental organizational or administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect changes in the environment. The Community Emissions Reduction Plan itself has been determined by Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) staff to be exempt from CEQA under Guidelines Section 15308 - Actions by Regulatory Agencies for Protection of the Environment. In addition, BAAQMD staff has determined that the strategies set forth in the Community Emissions Reduction Plan process would be exempt if they were to be implemented on their own.
Label
CITY MANAGER RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Adopt Resolution
Body
workplan Compliance statement
FY 2023-25 Council Priority Workplan Compliance Statement
Build a Healthy Community is a Top Council Priority contained in the FY 2023-25 City Council Adopted Workplan, effective May 1, 2023.
BACKGROUND
In response to AB 617 (C. Garcia, Chapter 136, Statutes of 2017), the California Air Resources Board (CARB) established the Community Air Protection Program (CAPP or Program). The Program’s focus is to reduce exposure in communities most impacted by air pollution. As a result, communities around the State are working together to develop and implement new strategies to measure air pollution and reduce health impacts. San Pablo is part of the “Richmond - North Richmond - San Pablo” Community Emissions Reduction Plan (CERP) area, which covers over 160,000 people in Richmond, North Richmond, and San Pablo. A Community Steering Committee, which includes San Pablo staff and resident representation, has been working with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) since 2021 and is now presenting its final strategy recommendations for reducing emissions and improving health with the release of the Path to Clean Air: Community Emissions Reduction Plan.
The San Pablo community suffers negative health impacts from a combination of high industrial, rail, marine, and truck pollution, and 75% of the City’s census tracts are considered to be in the top 10% for asthma statewide. The Richmond - North Richmond - San Pablo CERP includes strategies that can help reduce the highest impact, focusing particularly on the emissions that are strongly linked to chronic health problems. The CERP provides an opportunity to reduce pollution significantly and to improve regulation and drive continuous reductions.
The Draft CERP addresses key issues of community concern, including setting goals for reducing fine particulate matter (PM 2.5), nitrogen oxides, nickel, manganese, benzene, sulfuric acid, diesel particulate matter (DPM), formaldehyde, acrolein, arsenic, hydrogen cyanide, and hydrochloric acid emissions, as these appear to be the greatest contributors to chronic health problems in the community. Another important goal is to improve public education and community understanding of pollution-related health problems, local emission sources, and emission reduction goals and achievements. The CERP will also implement pollution reduction strategies and more comprehensive health and social services to help decrease pre-existing vulnerabilities and lower the community's burden of adverse health risks.
Members of the Richmond - North Richmond - San Pablo Community Steering Committee made a presentation to the San Pablo City Council on July 17, 2023 to request the City Council’s support for the planning process and to encourage implementation of strategies that can help reduce the highest impact pollutants by at least 30-40%, focusing particularly on the emissions that are strongly linked to chronic health problems. Steering Committee members highlighted the following key issues of community concern:
• Setting goals for reducing PM 2.5, nitrogen oxides, nickel, manganese, benzene, sulfuric acid, DPM, formaldehyde, acrolein, arsenic, hydrogen cyanide, and hydrochloric acid emissions as these appear to be the greatest contributors to chronic health problems in the community.
• Establishing strategies to improve public education and community understanding of pollution-related health problems, local emission sources, and emission reduction goals and achievements.
• Implementing pollution reduction strategies and more comprehensive health and social services to help decrease pre-existing vulnerabilities and lower the community's burden of adverse health risks.
• Encouraging the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the California Air Resources Board to provide funding to support a broad, far-reaching education and engagement program for the Plan and to provide ongoing information on emission reduction goals and achievements.
The City Council adopted Resolution 2023-111 on July 17, 2023, indicating its support for the development of the CERP by the AB 617 Community Steering Committee and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, including the items listed above (Attachment B).
PATH TO CLEAN AIR COMMUNITY REDUCTIONS EMISSIONS PLAN
A draft of The Path to Clean Air: Community Emissions Reduction Plan for Richmond-North Richmond-San Pablo was released on December 13, 2023 and is available to the public for review and comment through January 19, 2024. According to the Press Release for the Plan, it covers portions of Contra Costa County that are impacted by emission sources including fuel refining, ships, marine terminals, industrial manufacturing facilities, railways, vehicle and freight traffic. According to environmental software “CalEnviroScreen 4.0”, several communities in the Path to Clean Air area rank in the 90th percentile of pollution burden, which is some of the highest ranking in California. A 2018 Contra Costa Health Services study shows that asthma rates in the County are higher on average than in the rest of the state and are especially high for children and Black residents.
A copy of the Draft Plan and information on its development is available at this location: <https://www.baaqmd.gov/community-health/community-health-protection-program/richmond-area-community-health-protection-program/community-emissions-reduction-work>
A copy of the Draft Path to Clean Air (PTCA) Plan and an FAQ on the Plan development are attached to this Staff Report (Attachments C and D, respectively).
As explained in the PTCA, the planning process involved relationship building between the community-led Community Steering Committee (CSC) and the BAAQMD and development of a common understanding of the area’s air quality issues. There were a variety of public engagement efforts conducted throughout plan preparation, including town hall meetings, stakeholder meetings, and location-specific discussion of community assets and challenges. As a result of this outreach, over 500 public comments were collected to document the impact of poor air quality with potential health consequences.
The PTCA also includes a technical assessment of air pollution contributions in terms of both emissions and exposure for each of the area’s main sources of pollution, including cargo ships, rail operations, construction equipment, goods movement, vehicle traffic, fireplaces and gas appliances. This assessment helped to identify strategies to target specific pollutants. The PTCA also includes goals to develop more stringent air pollution policies that advance social healing and restoration, lower the community’s disproportionate exposure to air pollution, and promote more effective enforcement of regulations on high-polluting industries.
Community Concerns and Strategies
The PTCA is focused on five community concerns/priority sources including Mobile, Public Health, Marine and Rail, Commercial and Industrial, and Fuel Refining. Strategies that are addressed include Land Use, Urban Greening and Compliance and Enforcement. Taken from the FAQ, the table below identifies example actions that can be taken to address the community concerns:
|
Community Concern |
Example Plan Actions |
|
Mobile (freight trucks, cars) |
● Heavy-duty truck management (such as designating truck routes and installing design deterrents to prevent trucks from using residential streets) ● Invest in zero emission bus fleets ● Street sweeping (to limit road dust) |
|
Public Health and Reducing Exposures |
● Reduce vulnerabilities to air pollution by expanding health care ● Reduce exposure in homes by upgrading windows and installing air filtration systems ● Explore forms of guaranteed investment programs in the PTCA area |
|
Marine and Rail |
● Implement state rules for ocean going vessels (container and bulk cargo ships) to improve control technology ● Implement locomotive regulations to regulate emissions from freight rail operations, prioritizing zero emission technology ● Advocate for the State to establish more stringent rules to require zero emission cargo handling equipment at ports and railyards |
|
Commercial and Industrial Near Community |
● Use best practices to control dust at commercial and industrial businesses ● Require more stringent review of industrial businesses proposed to be located near residential uses ● Address permitted facilities through education and outreach; continued and enhanced collaboration; reviews of emissions; and potential amendments to Permitting Rules |
|
Fuel Refining |
● Update rules to reduce emissions and exposure from all fuel refining sources feasible (including via best available control technologies) and thoroughly engage the public and the community steering committee in the process ● Reduce toxics-based risk from major existing facilities including Chevron and Chemtrade. Evaluate risk reduction approaches for particulate matter health impacts as well ● Hold fuel refining industry accountable via enhanced compliance and enforcement, legal approaches and penalties, permitting, monitoring and measurements ● Reduce flaring activity and better respond to and inform the public about major incidents |
|
Land Use and Urban Greening |
● Plant trees in priority neighborhoods (near freeways and within the “fenceline” of industrial facilities) ● Update regulations to buffer residents from sources of pollution such as freeways and industrial uses (by requiring developers to install air filtration systems and locate windows, balconies and plazas away from pollution sources). |
|
Compliance & Enforcement |
● Develop an education and outreach campaign to inform the community about the Air District Complaints System ● Investigate targeted facilities of concern ● Update the community on enforcement activities |
RECOMMENDATION
The San Pablo City Council is requested to review the Draft PTCA Plan and to adopt the attached Resolution in Support of its adoption by the AB 617 Community Steering Committee and Bay Area Air Quality Management District.
FISCAL IMPACT
There would be no direct fiscal impact to the City for the support of the adoption of the Draft PTCA Plan. Implementation of the Plan will result in reductions of air quality impacts which could have a long-term beneficial impact by reducing any costs related to air pollution in San Pablo.
ATTACHMENTS:
Att A - Resolution
Att B - Resolution 2023-111
Att C - Draft PTCA Plan
Att D - FAQ on the Draft PTCA Plan