Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and Reporting

From http://www.sbcouncil.org/Projects/greencommunities

In cooperation with Sierra Business Council, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is collaborating with Local Governments for Sustainability - ICLEI to train Local Governments in Sierra Nevada region (within PG&E service areas) on how to complete a greenhouse gas emissions inventory.

Project Overview

Through the Green Communities Program, Sierra Business Council will assist local governments in the Sierra Nevada in meeting statewide goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Growing awareness of the impacts of global warming on California communities along with state mandates has led to the need for climate action planning. Green Communities is a three phase program approved by the California Public Utilities Commission and administered by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) using rate payer funds. The first phase of the program is to inventory greenhouse gas emissions from local government operations; the second phase is to conduct community wide greenhouse gas emissions inventories; and the third phase is to develop Climate Action Plans. The first phase will be launched during the fall of 2010.

A greenhouse gas emissions inventory is an important first step in a jurisdiction’s climate protection initiative. Quantifying emissions establishes a baseline against which to measure future progress and develops an understanding of the scale of emissions from the various sources within government operations. Local governments can dramatically reduce the emissions from their government operations by such measures as increasing energy efficiency in facilities and vehicle fleets, utilizing renewable energy sources, reducing waste, and conserving water. The co-benefits of these measures may include lower energy bills, improved air quality and more efficient government operations. And, equally if not more important, is that completing the greenhouse emissions inventory demonstrates to state agencies that the jurisdiction is moving forward on state goals.

Through this program, SBC will work closely with Sierra Nevada local governments to provide professional training to their staff and to assist them in preparing greenhouse gas emissions inventories for municipal facilities and operations, enlisting university or community interns to accomplish the bulk of the work. The program will use the “Local Government Operations Protocol,” the greenhouse gas emissions accounting tool which has been adopted by the California Air Resources Board. The goal of the document is to provide local governments with a technically sound and consistent quantification methodology to develop greenhouse emission inventories, establish a baseline, and track progress over time. The protocol includes calculation methodologies for sources under operational control of local governments, including buildings and other facilities, streetlights and traffic signals, water delivery facilities, airport facilities, vehicle fleet, transit fleet, power generation facilities, solid waste facilities, wastewater facilities and other process and fugitive emissions.

Project Objectives

• Work with Local Governments throughout the Sierra Nevada to proactively meet greenhouse gas emission reduction goals; assisting Local Governments to lead by example
• Provide comprehensive tools and resources for baseline greenhouse gas emission inventories to local governments and community interns in the Sierra Nevada
• Provide local governments with a inventory baseline to be used to monitor and reduce their energy usage and overall greenhouse gas emissions
• Increase capacity within the workforce, preparing community interns with valuable skills and experiences beneficial in the green job sector
• Prepare Local Government staff members for potential state regulations by providing training throughout the entire process, instructions on how to collect and analyze the data, and providing access to ICLEI resources; minimizing staff time and resources in the future
• Develop county- and city-wide greenhouse gas inventory reports, which can eventually be used in the development of comprehensive energy/climate action planning tools
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions related to energy usage in the Sierra Nevada while promoting sustainable economic development, social fairness, and long term environmental quality
• Implement the vision of the CA Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan in the Sierra Nevada
  

Project Process

Sierra Business Council will select and convene ten local government participants and coordinate training workshops conducted by the organization who worked with the California Air Resources Board to develop the Protocol, Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI). Sierra Business Council will recruit and manage the interns, who will participate in the training along with the local government staff. Sierra Business Council will pair the interns with selected local government staff participants, providing additional staffing support needed to conduct data collections, analysis, emissions inventory development and, ultimately, a comprehensive report.

Following completion of the greenhouse gas inventory for local government operations, (although dependant on program funding) the jurisdiction will be eligible to participate in the next phase of the program, the community wide greenhouse gas emissions inventory. The final phase of the Green Communities program will culminate in the development of a Climate Action Plan.

For more information email Program Manager Christina Prestella or call 530-582-4800 - ext.23.

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C. R. Taylor Green Consulting has been chosen as an intern for the above program with the Sierra Business Council & PG&E!

Be sure to check out a list of sustainability services for California local governments through C. R. Taylor Green Consulting. These services will include municipality-wide greenhouse gas emissions inventories according to the above program.

Contact C. R. Taylor Green Consulting today to ensure that your local government is properly addressing greenhouse gas emissions as well as California's new green building code (CALGreen) among other statewide requirements.