1 STAFF REPORT
DATE: Febr
uary 11, 2025
TO: Justi
n Hess, City Manager
FROM: Mandip Kaur Samra, Burbank Water and Power General Manager Patri ck Prescott, Community Development Director
BY: Drew Johnstone, Sustainability Officer
Amand a Landry, Principal Planner
SUBJECT: Discussion of the City of Burbank Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan Status Report and 2022 Greenhouse Gas Inventory Update
RECOMMENDATION
1. Provide input and/or policy direction on the findings from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan (GGRP) Status Report, Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory update, and the ongoing implementation of the GGRP , including the review period cycle (Attachment 1).
2. Note and file.
BACKGROUND
The City of Burbank’s GGRP was adopted by the City Council (Council) at the May 3, 2022 Council meeting. The GGRP is a long-range planning document that guides the City toward long- term greenhouse gas emission reductions in accordance with the State’s goals, such as Senate Bill ( SB) 32 (California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006:
emissions limit), which established a statewide target to reduce GHG emissions by 40% below 1990 levels by 2030.
WATER AND
POWER
The GGRP estimates timeframes for implementation of each action, from 1-3 years, 4-6 years, to 7-9 years. The Implementation section of the GGRP directs staff to establish a mechanism to monitor the plan’s progress and regularly analyze the status of emissions reduction actions to confirm targets are being met. As part of the GGRP implementation, staff prepares an annual status report and community-wide greenhouse gas inventory (Attachment 1). The City has a publicly accessible online dashboard called CAPDash, which allows the public to easily find the status of GGRP measures and GHG inventory
2 results that interest them . Additionally, the addendum of the GGRP status report has qualitative updates from staff for each GGRP measure and action (Attachment 1).
Tracking emission reductions and the progress of actions provides a regular mechanism to track successes and find areas for improvement that will feed into future GGRP updates. If it is determined that specific measures are not feasible, new or revised measures can be included in future updates to incorporate best practices and meet the City’s long-term targets.
DISCUSSION
Between the adoption of the GGRP update in May 2022 and the development of th e status report in mid- 2024, the City has made meaningful strides in implementing the GGRP. The attached status report and addendum highlight the progress made on the GGRP strategies , measures, and actions by every City department. Key accomplishments from this reporting period include:
years, to 7-9 years. The Implementation section of the GGRP directs staff to establish a mechanism to monitor the plan’s progress and regularly analyze the status of emissions reduction actions to confirm targets are being met. As part of the GGRP implementation, staff prepares an annual status report and community-wide greenhouse gas inventory (Attachment 1). The City has a publicly accessible online dashboard called CAPDash, which allows the public to easily find the status of GGRP measures and GHG inventory
1. The City’s communitywide GHG emissions for 2022 were estimated at 1,023,248 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, an 11% decrease since 2019 and 6% below 1990 level emissions. The City’s target is 40% below 1990 levels by 2030.
2. Council approved the creation of a Sustainability Officer position. Burbank Water and Power filled this position on July 25, 2022. The Sustainability Officer has been actively planning, designing, and implementing GGRP strategies, actions, and measures for which Burbank Water and Power is the lead department. The Sustainability Officer is also collaborating with community stakeholders and other City departments to help advance sustainability initiatives and coordinate reporting commitments.
3. Eleven of the measures in the GGRP have been completed, including:
a. Completion of a Municipal Fleet Optimization Study to understand the potential to replace fossil-fuel vehicles with zero-emission vehicles; b. Adoption of building codes related to electric vehicle (EV) chargers and heat-reflective “cool roofs” for newly constructed buildings; c. I nstallation of new irrigation controllers at municipal facilities; and d. Establishment of numerous organic waste diversion measures.
4. Additionally, 51 of the GGRP measures have been initiated and are ongoing, and 60 measures are pending initiation.
3 the City utilized Rincon Consultants (Rincon) to develop a measure analysis and tracking tool, data collection spreadsheets, and create a GHG inventory calculator. Rincon also assisted with the collection and review of data as it was provided by the City over the course of months, and Rincon and City staff collaborated on the status report contents, copy, and graphics. In addition, City staff scheduled multiple inter-departmental meetings and communicated across the organization to re- familiarize staff with GGRP commitments and reporting protocols, collection of data, and the conversion of data into useful information. The entire project took approximately eight months. Staff anticipates the next iteration of the status report and GHG inventory to take less time.
Although staff are actively working on the implementation of GGRP measures , many of the adopted measures are long-term programs, and data related to them is not readily available on an annual basis. Based on this, it will be more efficient to prepare the GGRP status reports and GHG inventory updates on a bi-annual basis so staff can provide more complete information on the implementation of GGRP measures.
Ongoing Implementation
As conveyed to the Council at the adoption of the GGRP update, implementing the total GGRP update is estimated to be a $2 billion investment over 20- plus years. Measures require City staff time, consultant services, education, programs, grant applications, structural changes, etc. Some measures will be funded through various impact fees, state and federal funds, and grant programs, which will offset the actual cost to the City.
One-half of the total investment includes Burbank Water and Power’s pre- planned investments in renewable and carbon- free electricity projects to reduce emissions from electricity generation while meeting state mandates . Other major investments, such as those for water and civil infrastructure, were also pre- planned before the GGRP update and are included in the GGRP because they are synergistic.
Data Reporting
The implementation of the adopted GGRP measures and the preparation of this report requires close collaboration and communication between City Departments to ensure the measures are addressed in a way that best utilizes available City resources. Aside from the implementation of the adopted measures, t he development of the status report and GHG inventory itself requires significant staff time and consultant resources. This year , The implementation of each strategy, measure, and action item is reviewed and considered by the Council as part of its overall consideration of each annual budget and the department's work plans. City staff will continue to seek funding for opportunities when available.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
The development of the initial GGRP Update was a citywide, collaborative effort between 4 inventory and the status of the GGRP’s measures and actions. The attached status report’s addendum highlights the qualitative progress made by applicable City departments on the GGRP strategies, measures, and actions.
Staff will continue outreach and education to enhance community awareness of the individual measures in the GGRP. This includes monthly staff updates at the Sustainable Burbank Commission, an improved presence on the City website, more frequent updates on social media and in newsletters, as well as community workshops.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This report is for informational purposes only and does not have a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, and as such, is not a “project” subject to the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) 14 Cal. Code Regs § 15378.
Further, pursuant to CEQA and the CEQA Guidelines (Public Resources Code, Division 13 and California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 3), the City has evaluated potential environmental effects of the GGRP Update through the preparation of an Initial Study the GGRP Update is applicable citywide. The Initial Study found that there would be either no impact or a less than significant impact on all resource categories with the implementation of the Project. In addition, projects implemented in support of the GGRP Update would be reviewed for co nsistency with the Burbank2035 General Plan, other applicable regulatory land use actions, and would be subject to any required environmental assessment that would be completed prior to approval of the project.
Therefore, the City Council determined that the GGRP Update will not create a substantial environmental effect as defined by CEQA and adopted a Negative Declaration on May 7, 2022.
City staff, Council, Boards, Commissions, and the public. The 2024 GGRP status report and greenhouse gas inventory have been shared with the public via presentations at City Boards and Commissions, has been posted on the City’s website, and will be shared in digital newsletters and social media. A public online dashboard called CAPDash (https://www.burbankca.gov/web/community-development/climate-action-plan) is now available to view the quantitative status of Burbank’s community -wide greenhouse gas
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact for receiving and filing this report. The City had previously allocated funds in the Fiscal Year 2024-25 Budget to account for consultant fees and staff time to prepare the GGRP Status Report, GHG Inventory, and for the ongoing implementation of the GGRP.
5 ATTACHMENT
Attachment 1 – City of Burbank GGRP Implementation Status Report
CONCLUSION
Burbank is making progress toward meeting the goals established in the GGRP to reduce GHG emissions to achieve a safe, beautiful, and thriving community, particularly those associated with resource use and development, and to incorporate resilience and adaptation strategies into planning for smart growth. Staff recommends that the Counc il provide staff with feedback regarding the frequency of the City’s GGRP status report and GHG inventory and note and file this report.