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March 2008
California Oak Report
Laying Down the Law
The current carbon dioxide (CO2) contribution to climate change is in large part a byproduct of mankind having removed 50 percent of the Earth's forest cover over the last 8,000 years. Continuing "deforestation accounts for about 20% of the carbon dioxide spewed into the atmosphere each year" (Wall Street Journal 2008). Based on the latest University of California figures (2007), COF estimates that since 1990 California has converted 325,000 acres of oak woodlands to other land uses. Thus, in California there are substantially less acres of oak forest to help reduce state CO2 emissions to the levels required by Assembly Bill 32 and the escalating deforestation of oak woodlands (25,000 acres annually) greatly compounds the CO2 problem.
On February 19 Attorney General Jerry Brown sent the following letter to 534 local government officials: Cities with populations greater than 50,000, 178 Mayors, 171 Planning Departments, 58 County Board of Supervisors Chairs or Presidents, 58 County Planning Agency Directors, 33 Councils of Government and 36 Air Quality Control Districts. This letter was accompanied by a 20-page general discussion of various mitigation measures applicable to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and local General Plans. The Attorney General’s recent comments reinforce California Oak Foundation’s legal opinion that carbon dioxide biological emissions due to lost photosynthesis and combustion releases are significant environmental effects that must be analyzed and mitigated under CEQA review.
February 19, 2008
I write to you today about a myth, a challenge, and an opportunity. The myth is that there is no immediate need to address local contributions to global warming. The challenge is to take action today and at every level to address global warming. And the opportunity, particularly for local government, is to be an active force in the fight against global warming by asking the hard questions, seeking the best information, and making the sound decisions that will move California to a low carbon future. As part of this opportunity, I invite you to attend one of a series of workshops that I will co host with the Local Government Commission this spring.
The Myth
There no longer is serious debate that global temperatures are rising and that human activities play an important role. We already are seeing the effects disappearing glaciers, shrinking snow pack, droughts, coastal erosion, bigger and more regular storms, and more extreme heat waves. But some continue to suggest that we can afford to wait to take action. That until all the prescriptive rules are in place at the state and federal level, we can proceed with business as usual. We do not have this luxury. The best available science tells us that the effects from global warming will intensify and spread if we do not take decisive, dramatic action today. As the chairman of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently declared: "If there's no action before 2012, that's too late. What we do in the next two to three years will determine our future."
The Challenge
In California, we have recognized the urgent need to curb greenhouse gas emissions by committing to reduce emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, and to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. However, even under the aggressive timetable that the Governor and Legislature have set, most of the rules being developed to reach these targets will not take effect until 2012. A tremendous amount of local and regional planning will occur between now and then. We will experience the effects of the decisions made today well into the future. Our challenge is to ensure that the planning occurring now allows us to meet the goals we have set for ourselves.
Fortunately, local agencies have at their disposal an extremely powerful tool. CEQA requires public agencies to mitigate or avoid "significant effects on the environment" when it is feasible to do so. As the Legislature recognized last year when it enacted Senate Bill No. 97, greenhouse gas emissions are the type of environmental effect that agencies must address under CEQA. Throughout California, cities, counties, and regional planning entities have begun to address global warming as an integral part of their planning efforts, as CEQA requires, even in the absence of regulatory thresholds of significance.
To assist in this effort, my office has compiled and regularly updates a document that may be helpful for agencies in carrying out their obligations under CEQA. The most recent version, available at http://ag.ca.gov/globalwarming/ceqa.php, lists examples of mitigation measures that may be appropriate for a broad range of projects from specific developments to general plans and regional plans. The document also provides links to sources of information on global warming impacts and mitigation measures. I encourage you to take a look.
The Opportunity
Many agencies have questions about how to address global warming through the CEQA process. These may include: "How do we prepare an inventory of baseline greenhouse gas emissions?" "How do we model future emissions?" "What kinds of mitigation must we consider?" While each agency initially must answer these questions for itself, we can learn from each other.
With these questions in mind, my office and the Local Government Commission will host a series of workshops entitled "CEQA and Climate Change: Partnering with Local Agencies to Combat Global Warming." Speakers will include myself and members of my office, leaders from the Governor's Climate Action Team, and modeling experts from around the State. The material covered at each workshop will be similar, but will be tailored to highlight innovative approaches in each region. We aim to provide concrete tips for addressing global warming in CEQA documents, and to foster discussion about experiences so far. Workshop dates are:
March 20, Oakland
April 3, Sacramento
April 24, Visalia
May 15, Los Angeles
May 23, Monterey
Information about the workshops and registration is available at www.lgc.org.
I look forward to working together as we create a low carbon future in California.
Sincerely,
EDMUND G. BROWN JR.
Attorney General
Announcements
SOD Preventative Treatment Training Sessions
Sudden oak death (SOD) infestations have increased over the past year, making the demand for preventative treatment training sessions greater than ever before. Responding to this need, free workshops will be offered on the UC Berkeley campus March July on the second Wednesday of each month. The 2 hour field sessions will be held rain or shine, and are intended for all interested parties, including media. Sessions will cover basic SOD information, integrated pest management approaches to managing SOD, how to select candidate trees for treatment, and proper preventative treatment application.
When: Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Where: Tolman Hall "Portico," University of California, Berkeley, CA
Pre registration is required for these free training sessions and space is limited. CEU credits have been applied for with both DPR and ISA (2.0 units). To register, email SODtreatment@nature.berkeley.edu and provide your name, phone number, affiliation (if applicable), and the date for which you are registering. For more information on the training sessions or on SOD issues, contact Katie Palmieri at (510) 847 5482 or Palmieri@nature.berkeley.edu.
Merchandise
Oak Woodland Community poster, illustrated by Suzanne Duranceau and published by Good Nature Publishing Company. Full color, 24” x 18” depicts oak woodland habitats and some of the more than 300 species that rely on oaks for food and shelter. $12, $10.80 for members, plus sales tax, shipping and handling.
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Fax: 510-208-4435 oakstaff@californiaoaks.org
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