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Oil Independent Oakland (OIO) By 2020 Task Force …
Tags: deputy city attorney, district 6, draft minutes, forum 3, glasner, hearing room, james lutz, legislative analyst, mayor david, mayor james, oio, patrick tang, plaza members, public outreach, public works committee, register district, richard heinberg, richard register, task force members, waste stream,Pages: 6
Language: english
Created: Wed Sep 26 16:31:20 2007
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Oil Independent Oakland (OIO) By 2020 Task Force Regular Meeting
Thursday, June 21, 2007, 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm Minutes
Hearing Room 1, City Hall, One Frank H. Ogawa Plaza
Members:
Jane Seleznow District 1 Richard Register District 7
Louise Bedsworth District 2 Mike Petouhoff At Large
Ian Kim, Vice Chair District 3 Parin Shah, Chair Mayor
James Lutz District 4 Richard Heinberg Mayor
Shannon Graham District 5 Thomas Radulavich Mayor
David Room District 6 Patrick Tang, Esq. Deputy City Attorney
Task Force Members Present: Seleznow, Kim, Lutz, Graham, Room, Register, Petouhoff, Shah,
Heinberg, Bedsworth
Task Force Members Absent: Radulavich
Staff Members Present: Patrick Tang, City Attorney's Office; Alice Glasner, Public Works
Committee Legislative Analyst
Business Meeting
1. Roll Call and Establishment of Quorum.
a. Meeting was called to order at 6:10 pm. Roll was called and a quorum was established.
2. Open Forum.
a. There were no speakers for Open Forum.
3. Approval of Draft Minutes of May 17, 2007 meeting.
a. The Draft Minutes of the May 17, 2007 meeting were unanimously approved as
amended. The amendments were to Section 5.b.ix., to read, "TFM Heinberg stated that
the amount of petroleum used in materials is about 12%," and section 6.d., to add sub-
section v. as follows: "Somehow "Waste Stream" would be incorporated into the work."
and sub-section vi. as follows: "All working groups would be cross-referenced with the
"4 E's" (Equity, Engagement (Public Outreach), Economy, and Environmental."
4. Election of Chair and Vice-Chair.
a. A motion to elect Parin Shah as Chair and Ian Kim as Vice-Chair of the Task Force was
made by Task Force Member ("TFM") Seleznow and seconded by TFM Register.
Motion passed by unanimous vote.
5. Presentation by Prof. Peter V. Schwartz, Cal Poly Physics Dept., Navigating The Way Out of
Fossil Fuel Dependence .
a. Dr. Schwartz presented information on fuel efficiencies.
i. He compared a battery-powered (electric) engine to an internal combustion
engine for two sports cars --- showing an engine efficiency at 77.4% to 12.7%, at
a cost of 1.6 cents/ km to 8.4 cents/ km, respectively.
ii. He also compared efficiencies and costs of other fuel sources, such as ethanol,
coal, natural gas, and nuclear.
iii. Renewable energy, such as solar and wind, specifically, look better than fossil
fuels in terms of efficiencies and costs over time.
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iv. In Santa Barbara County, wind and/ or solar have the potential to supply more
than the electricity demand.
v. If you add in storage, Santa Barbara could supply neighboring counties with
excess supply.
vi. In terms of cost, the best way to save money on energy is to increase
conservation. Fossil fuel pricing does not include externalities related to air
quality, and other health and safety concerns. As fossil fuel prices go up,
renewable technology will get cheaper.
vii. Enhancements to renewable supply, such as providing storage, diversifying
sources, and transparent pricing according to the cost of production (and time of
use) could bring costs down.
viii. Dr Schwartz's overall recommendations include: creating Community Choice
Aggregation, a renewable supply; making the grid more accessible; allowing
energy producers, even individuals, to sell back their excess production. Then,
on the demand side, increasing transportation efficiency, enforcing conservation
standards (e.g., Title 24 as a requirement for home sales), and lifestyle changes.
ix. Task Force Members commented that:
1. Solar energy could be cheaper than what has been projected, and more
desirable if people could sell power back to grid (Petouhoff).
2. Cities should focus on urban design and energy efficiencies, not on
perpetuation private transportation with alternative fuels (Register).
3. The City of Vacaville has the largest electric fleet in the nation; in fact,
they lease vehicles from Toyota and then lease them out to private
citizens (Shah).
4. Perhaps Oakland could assist a startup company that would transform
hybrids to plug-in hybrids (Lutz).
x. There were four speakers on this item:
1. Stephen LeBlanc
2. Mark Gagliardi
3. Zack Norwood
4. Kirsten Miller.
6. Staff Report Regarding Quantity of Regular Asphalt and Rubberized Asphalt Installed by the City
of Oakland in Roads and Public Rights-of-Way.
i. Ron Ward, Supervising Civil Engineer, Department of Infrastructure and
Operations, Public Works Agency ("PWA"), presented a chart illustrating oil-
based materials usage in Oakland.
ii. An asphalt-concrete mix is used throughout the year by crews to repair potholes,
speed bumps, and street base. There are also patches to streets after sewer or
water main work.
iii. Asphalt-concrete is a tar-based aggregate sand mixture. The tar is the binder. It's
also known as blacktop. It renews the life of pavement.
iv. Rubberized asphalt was used for three years with mixed results. They are now
monitoring results and will continue to use it on an experimental basis. It is
made with ground tires, which replaces the binder in the mixture, but application
has been inconsistent and still needs study.
v. This was an Informational Report only, accepted and filed.
7. Presentation by Ian Kim Regarding Green Jobs and Eco-Equity.
a. TFM Ian Kim made a presentation developed by the Ella Baker Center, where he is
Policy Director.
i. We are entering the "Third Wave" of Environmentalism, which seeks to provide
economic and social justices for these communities.
1. The First Wave was what we call conservation.
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2. The Second Wave was Regulation, which started in the 1960's when
people began paying attention to the environmental impacts of
industrialization.
3. The conservation and regulation movements lacked a real meaningful
analysis of race and class.
4. The Third Wave is an Investment Phase investment in "the new" (new
technology, new ways of thinking of who we are and what we do, etc.).
5. The question the Ella Baker Center asks is, "In this new Investment
Phase, what does that look like for people of color and low-income
communities?"
ii. This new sector is the Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) where
the "crunchy" or "granola" lifestyle is going mainstream. This includes
sustainable economy ideas, ecological lifestyle, personal development,
alternative healthcare, and "Green-vertising". Many of the biggest polluters
(e.g., auto manufacturers) now use Green-vertising to show they are
environmentally conscious. This is a multi-billion dollar set of industries.
iii. Though this new economic sector of environmental consciousness and health,
and related consumption patterns, is becoming more mainstream, it is the most
economically stratified and racially segregated part of the U.S. economy.
iv. The "Clean Tech" Industry has gone from "Niche Market to Mainstream."
1. In 2005, "Clean Tech" (which includes renewable energy, alternative
fuels, energy efficient building technology) was the fifth largest venture
capital investment category in the U.S. and Canada, with $1.6 Billion
dollars in venture capital investment. The top four categories were: (1)
biotech, (2) software, (3) medical devices, and (4) telecommunications.
2. In 2006, Clean Tech jumped to # 3, at $2.9B (behind only software (1)
and biotech (2)). Investors are taking notice.
v. We are facing three possible futures:
1. Eco-apocalypse
2. Eco-apartheid
3. Or, we want something more visionary, more inclusive: Eco-equity.
vi. Environmental problems and solutions can be made relevant to more people in
society if there is discussion about real lives, health and living conditions, and a
discussion around jobs. We need to find ways to break out of the "subculture"
that environmentalism tends to get stuck in.
vii. Oakland is consistently ranked as a Top 10 Green City, due to its bold, visionary
environmental leadership. Oakland is also addressing issues of poverty, public
schools, crime, diversity, etc. Thus, Oakland is attempting to transform itself
both environmentally and economically in a Green direction. This has a different
meaning for the rest of the country.
viii. In Oakland there are opportunities for green-based jobs, for people not typically
part of the traditional economy. Examples of Green Collar Jobs include
meaningful, dignified manual labor that pays well and that is accessible to those
who may have barriers to employment, such as lack of a college degree. Such
jobs include manufacturing and installation of solar panels; manufacturing,
assembly, and servicing of fuel efficient vehicles; construction jobs in green
architecture; design and manual labor in habitat restoration or environmental
remediation. There is plenty of work that cannot be outsourced or shipped
overseas we need people to physically set up fuel and distribution systems here
in Oakland. Using this approach to solve some of the sustainability issues will
resolve some of our social needs, as well.
ix. How can we be sure that, as this Green Economy grows, that those who have
been locked out of the poverty-, pollution-, poison-based economy can be locked
in to the new, clean, Green Economy?
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x. We need to look at the Triple Bottom Line:
1. financial bottom line
2. environmental bottom line
3. social bottom line
b. Task Force responses:
i. Members responded positively to the presentation. They added ideas such as the
urgency of the environmental, social, and economic issues presented; the
importance of including health issues in Task Force discussions, that there are
quality jobs in reshaping cities; and that planning for lower energy use can lead
to greater equity.
c. There was one speaker on this item: Kirsten Miller.
8. Discussion of the Process and Metrics to be Utilized by the OIO Task Force to Prioritize
Recommendations to Council.
a. This item was held over to the July meeting.
9. Working Group Status Reports and Recommendations:
a. Transportation Working Group.
i. Letter has been drafted seeking outside input, directed at groups, individuals,
agencies, researchers, related list-serves, and others.
ii. Work timeline includes letter, determining baseline indicators, looking at
potential metrics, and studies done elsewhere (June and July). After July, focus
on analysis, create preliminary list of actions. Present methodology for
evaluating most promising actions.
iii. Scope: (1) Reduce private auto transportation; (2) Increase efficiency of
transportation fleet; (3) increase use of alternative fuels-deemed appropriate by
full cycle analysis. Include private and municipal vehicles, as well as light and
heavy vehicles in analysis. Be mindful of public health issues and other
unintended consequences. Boundary of data to use has not been determined.
iv. Other Task Force Members mentioned that parameters of data could be
determined by purpose of trips, or by asking ICLEI how theirs were determined.
b. Land Use and Infrastructure Working Group.
i. Working with the Planning Department and the Planning Commission will be an
essential part of this group's activities.
ii. They will look at how the Land Use and Transportation Element (LUTE) might
be amended in areas such as design standards for high density development and
proposing nodes for higher and mixed-use development.
iii. They will evaluate whether zoning should be amended to facilitate more mixed-
use and higher density, more walking and less private vehicle use.
iv. Work effort will include a mapping.
v. For infrastructure: the group will look at what the City could provide to facilitate
greater use of bicycles and walking.
vi. This group will look at the use of development impact fees,
vii. and opportunities for advocacy when the City doesn't play a direct role in
decision-making.
viii. There may be a benefit to using the city's Transfer of Development Rights to
change development or land uses in the city.
ix. The working group processes will include working with the Planning
Commission, doing outreach, perhaps participating in some kind of public forum,
and perhaps showing a DVD about Curitiba on KTOP.
x. Key messages: (1) public should be informed about the history of our
dependency on cars; (2) density is environmentally friendly; (3) changes in
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society should facilitate changes in zoning to make workplaces able to be near
living and shopping places; (4) the public currently subsidizes urban sprawl (e.g.,
highway infrastructure).
xi. As an example, the former Mayor's proposal to add 100,000 units to Downtown
should be distributed throughout the city and should be part bringing diverse
development to neighborhoods.
xii. There was a discussion about all groups using the outreach letter produced by the
transportation working group, but the final decision was that each group would
produce its own letter as needed.
c. Food and Materials Working Group.
i. Because the members of the group are the same as the Transportation Working
Group, those involved thought it best to invest most of the time on the
transportation effort.
ii. There will, however, be some language presented at the next meeting for the final
report asserting the importance of food in the fuel reduction effort, and the
importance of follow-up work on this topic.
iii. There are many groups already working on the food component, and the plastic
bag ban will do a lot toward the "materials" component.
d. Port of Oakland Working Group.
i. The Working Group has discussed the state of ports, fossil fuel consumption, and
the different fuels used.
ii. Questions raised include: What is the amount of fuel purchased by the Port?
What is the amount of fuel burned by vehicles such as ships, trucks, and
airplanes? The Port Group will find out what data is available.
iii. Known resources include the Port Commission and Port/City Liaison committee.
iv. There is information accessible online.
v. There are also people in the community who are great resources and have
experience with the Port, including environmental justice activists. There will be
outreach to these individuals.
vi. Other task force members offered these suggestions:
1. Check on "best practices" at other ports.
2. Add trains into the mix.
3. Consider a scenario where the cost of fuel doubles or triples.
e. There was one speaker on this item: Sanjiv Handa.
10. Report and Recommendation Regarding Proposed Plastic Bag Ban Ordinance.
a. Richard Register made a motion, seconded by David Room, that the Task Force would
state its support for the plastic bag ban at the Public Works Committee hearing on June
26, and that Ian Kim would convey this support during public comment on the item.
Motion passed by unanimous vote.
b. There was one speaker on this item: Sanjiv Handa.
11. Informational Report Regarding Resolution No. 80605, C.M.S., Extending the Term of the OIO
Task Force to December 31, 2007.
a. This was an Informational Report only, accepted and filed.
b. There was one speaker on this item: Sanjiv Handa.
12. Future Agenda Items.
a. Discussion of the Process and Metrics to be Utilized by the OIO Task Force to Prioritize
Recommendations to Council (continued from tonight's agenda to the next meeting, July
19, 2007).
b. Status Reports from each Working Group.
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c. Presentation by Richard Register, Eco-City Design and Layout and its Implications for
Energy Conservation.", at the August meeting.
13. Announcements .
a. Jim Lutz announced a seminar to take place tomorrow, Friday, June 22, 2007, at 1:30 pm,
at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: Transport and CO2 Emissions in Developing
Countries: Doing it right the first time. Interested individuals should contact Barbara
Adams at (510) 486-5958 to make arrangements for attending.
14. Adjournment at 9:35 pm.
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