January 16, 2024
City Council
DATE: January 16, 2024
TO: Members of the City Council
FROM:
Councilmember Claudia Jimenez and Mayor Eduardo
Martinez
Subject: Comments on the AB 617 Draft Community Emissions Reduction Plan (CERP)
FINANCIAL IMPACT: None
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
Adopted Resolution 48-23 on May 23, 2023, in support of AB 617 Community Air Protection Program, including
requests that certain goals and concerns be addressed in developing the Plan
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
The CERP Steering committee is commitment to work in
collaboration with BAAQMD to create this draft plan to
reduce exposure to harmful emissions in 10 years.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
APPROVE the list of improvement requests; and
DIRECT staff to submit them to Bay Area Air Quality
Management District before the deadline for Public
Comments on January 19, 2024 – Councilmember
Jimenez (510-620-6565) and Mayor Martinez (510-620-
6503).
DISCUSSION:
The City of Richmond would like to thank the Community Emissions Reduction Plan (CERP) Steering committee for their commitment to work in collaboration with Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) to create this draft plan. Due to the AGENDA
REPORT
January 16, 2024
community engagement work, this draft plan is the first community plan to name Just Transition of all 19 communities across the state, to bring the local union into regulatory practices, to ask for community benefits policy, and to ask for a 35 percent – 50 percent reduction in exposure for disproportionately harmed residents in 10 years.
While the draft plan is directionally positive and provides much valuable information about our pollution problems and many positive strategy ideas, we find it lacking in its distillation of the critical success factors for significant emissions reduction and missing the aggressive milestones we expected for its top strategies for public health improvement.
In preparation for submitting the draft plan to BAAQMD Board of Directors, the city is submitting public comments to be taken into consideration for the final plan. Refer to the attached list of improvement requests.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – List of Requested Improvements to the Draft AB 617 Community Emissions Reduction Plan for Richmond, San Pablo, and North Richmond from the Richmond City Council
Attachment 2 – Resolution 48-23 in support of AB617 Community Air Protection Program. Adopted: May 23, 2023