10/01/2007: "Council Debates Climate Change Ordinance"

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(County Council discusses draft ordinance on climate change)

Evidence that climate change may be predictable was first exposed in the public media in the 1970s, when Fortune magazine ran a story on a comprehensive study about ice drillings that indicated the planet experiences a series cycles within cycles of warming and cooling.

Given the intellectual weight that Fortune then carried as an investigative publication, one may have expected a reaction from the business world, the government, and eventually, the public. That did not happen. Perhaps the lack of a response resulted from a sense that there was validly to the old quote that “Everyone talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it”.

For reasons not clear, concerns about the negative impacts of climate changed have now become a hot topic, and in the last decade those concerns have become manifest as “global warming”. It has now reached the point where a large number of towns, cities, states, and even some countries, have decided to do something about “global warming.”. Never mind that according to the Fortune report, the prediction for the future is for global freezing.

So, in San Juan County, Councilman Alan Lichter and Kevin Ranker have independently been working for some time on a Draft “Declaration & Resolution on Climate Change” (Draft follows at end of story & may be downloaded here), spelling out the problem, and what San Juan County could do to stop the “documented impacts of global warming.” They have recently joined forces, and have now presented the draft ordinance to the rest of the council.

Lichter and Ranker stressed that their work was a draft, and as it turned out, wisely so, because parts of it, both in form and content, ran into some strong resistance when it came up for a “first touch” discussion at last Tuesday’s council meeting.

Both Councilman Gene Knapp and Rich Peterson said they would like to be able to support such an ordinance, but for a number of general and specific reasons would not support what was presented.

Peterson was the first to respond to the draft, and circulated a memo in which he had previously stated some of his thoughts on the subject, which were counter to a quote from National Geographic Magazine given by Lichter that “The scientific evidence (concerning global warming) is clear,” and that human activity is the main cause. Peterson said that he did not agree with many of the statements in the “Whereas” statements of the draft, but that a “reduced energy consumption is sufficient rationale for the county…to adopt responsible behaviors in the interest of conservation and environmental protection.”

Kevin Ranker said, “This is not some radical thing .. more than 500 cities and hundreds of counties have already adopted similar goals.”

Councilman Gene Knapp said that while “I applaud this...it is too long”, and noted that “little San Juan County will not have any effect at all” on global warming. He agreed with Peterson with respect to the “whereas” statements, and suggested that all of them be dropped.

Knapp then went though the draft list of twenty-six actions the County could take, and suggested that a number of them, such as asking “county departments to use bikes where possible…employees who can bike between home and work,” were unworkable, and in regard to some of the other items, he noted that it was impractical to “do a comparative study of vehicle emissions” and to have an “emission inspection program”.

He listed a number of other objections, and said the County has “a whole lot of other issues that we need to find time to deal with,” and concluded by saying “I want to sign it”, but not as it has been presented.

Councilman Howard Rosenfeld agreed with Peterson that “some of these actions should be done regardless of concerns with global warming”. He also noted that the suggestion of having a “green building code” had potential problems with respect to conflicts it would have with the existing building codes. He suggested that an “education element” be added to the list.

Councilman Bob Myhr was silent on the entire matter until Lichter asked him to enter into the discussion, at which point he read a quote that estimated the amount of energy to be saved by switching to florescence lighting; but he had little else to say on the subject.

The Council returned to the discussion, and it was agreed that Lichter and Ranker would receive written comments from the members, and then submit a second draft.

FIRST DRAFT

San Juan County Declaration & Resolution on Climate Change
WHEREAS, there is consensus among the world's leading scientists that global warming caused by human emission of greenhouse gases is among the most significant problems facing the world today, arrived at through twenty years of research by over 2,500 scientists with the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change;

WHEREAS, documented impacts of global warming already underway include average global sea level increases of four to eight inches during the 20th century; decline in Arctic Ocean sea-ice thickness by 40 percent; worldwide loss of snowpack; loss of water supplies in certain regions; adverse impacts on wildlife and biodiversity; nine of the ten hottest years on record occurring in the past decade; with 2007 evidencing most unusual and dramatic global weather events;

WHEREAS, projected impacts of global warming will include new habitat for disease-carrying insects; changes in rain and snowfall patterns, affecting water supplies, agriculture, and the frequency of flooding; changes in natural habitats that will eliminate some species and introduce new ones; with sea-level rise and greater coastal storm damage putting island and coastal environments at increased risk;

WHEREAS, currently the United States is responsible for producing approximately 25 percent of the world’s global warming pollutants;

WHEREAS, state, regional and local governments throughout the United States are adopting emission reduction targets and programs and that this leadership is multi-partisan and coming from governors, county executives, and mayors alike;

WHEREAS, the U.S. Conference of Mayors has endorsed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, which commits cities to a reduction of global warming emissions to 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2012, and calls for a federal limit on emissions;

WHEREAS, climate stabilization will require reduction of greenhouse gas emissions 80% below current levels by 2050, and the State of California has mandated statewide reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to 25% below current levels by 2020, as an intermediate step;

WHEREAS, many counties throughout the nation, both large and small, are reducing global warming pollutants through programs that provide economic and quality of life benefits, such as reduced energy bills, green space preservation, air quality improvements, reduced traffic congestion, improved transportation choices, and economic development and job creation through energy conservation and new energy technologies;

WHEREAS, a substantial portion of greenhouse gas emissions is caused by cars, trucks, planes, and ships; and in homes and offices, through inefficient use of heating, cooling, lighting and appliances, and insufficient recycling and reuse of materials;

NOW, THEREFORE IT BE DECLARED AND RESOLVED that,

The San Juan County Council, recognizing the critical nature of global warming and climate change, and cognizant of the actions being taken by local, state, and federal governments and other organizations around the globe, pledges to take immediate steps for climate change stabilization and strongly encourages San Juan County residents and businesses to reduce their carbon footprints, by making the following commitments:

The San Juan County Council will serve as a model for the community by taking the following actions:

1. Switch to compact fluorescent, full spectrum compact fluorescent, and LED light bulbs in county government offices;

2. Instruct county staff to turn off all lights, computers, heating and air conditioning when not in use;

3. Reduce air travel for county business trips;

4. Continue to make composting bins available to county residents at wholesale prices;
5. Set up a county web site on climate change that allows input and exchange of people’s ideas on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and serves as an information resource;

6. Conform to the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification in all future county government buildings/remodels;

7. Set up a citizens’ action work group under the Smart Growth initiative umbrella to address global warming solutions;

8. Use biodiesel in county government diesel vehicles, as it becomes practical, with the goal of using B20 biodiesel in all county diesel vehicles by 2010;

9. Begin the switch to hybrid vehicles, when appropriate, in new county fleet purchases and continue the transition to more fuel efficient county vehicles;

10. Provide more trails and bikeways for walking and
biking--provide more bicycle parking throughout the county--more striped bike lanes--improve and expand pedestrian crossings--keep up with road repair;

11. Investigate and promote the use of alternative energy
sources, e.g., wind and solar power;

12. Start a bikeloaner program for citizens and ask county
departments to use bikes where possible, e.g., Sheriff's deputies patrolling Friday Harbor, some Public Works staff, employees who can bike between home and work;

13. Adopt a green building code, with incentives, for San
Juan County;

14. Require all county departments to buy recycled
products, when possible, including paper products that use at least 30% recycled content;

15. Plant more trees throughout San Juan County, particularly where they can provide shading and canopies-- and thus sequester carbon dioxide;

16. Encourage and support mini-bus and mini-van service throughout San Juan County, as well as the use of the sjRIDESHARE program;

17. Create an inventory of both county government operational and county geographical greenhouse gas emissions. Set a target of greenhouse gas emissions reductions to a range of 80% below current levels by 2050 (“Climate Stabilization”), and encourage other counties to execute the same or undertake a similar commitment;

18. Reduce San Juan County government contractual arrangements, whenever possible, with entities know to be major emitters of greenhouse gases;

19. Require solid waste facilities countywide to handle and provide for full recycling, composting, and reuse centers;

20. Institute mandatory recycling of all recyclable products in all county buildings and facilities;

21. Negotiate with San Juan Sanitation the ability to have countywide curbside recycling;

22. Perform a comparative study of vehicle emissions, comparing the emissions of trips to solid waste facilities by the public to the emissions of garbage trucks doing curb-side pick-up of solid waste;

23. Investigate a county vehicle emission inspections program similar to the programs of other Washington counties;

24. Purchase non-styrofoam containers for all county facilities;

25. Do everything possible to reduce commerce-related long-distance travel, e.g., by encouraging all county departments to buy as locally as possible --food products, merchandise, etc.;

26. Work with Washington State Ferries to encourage increased pedestrian and bicycle traffic on ferries coming to the islands, and ask the San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau to encourage tourists to reduce their use of cars in the San Juan Islands.

Here are ten actions that San Juan County residents and businesses can take:

1. Know your carbon footprint in order to understand your energy use habits - use the Bonneville Environmental Foundation’s “carbon calculator” that is tailored to the Pacific Northwest (www.b-e-f.org);

2. Reduce energy use by switching to compact fluorescent, full spectrum compact fluorescent, and LED light bulbs;

3. Reduce energy use by driving less -- walk, bike, carpool, rideshare, use hybrid and electric vehicles, and let children ride buses to school;

4. Reduce energy use by buying local produce/food products and other market products, avoiding products shipped long distances, and use canvas bags for shopping;

5. Reduce energy use by turning off all electrical equipment and lights when not in use;

6. Reduce energy use by improving home energy efficiency (ask OPALCO for a home energy audit) and buying EnergyStar appliances;

7. Reduce energy use by turning down water heater thermostats to 120 degrees;

8. Recycle all newsprint, cardboard, glass, metal, and plastic;

9. Compost food products and yard waste;

10. Plant more trees and shrubs to absorb carbon dioxide.