Jerry Walters, member of the SB 375 Regional Targets Advisory Committee, reflects on what the committee recommendations mean for transportation and land use planning in California in 2010 and beyond

The SB375 Regional Targets Advisory Committee has completed its mission; may it rest in peace.  Save a single-event return engagement next spring to consider the results of MPO scenario planning and target testing, the RTAC’s job is done.  As of its September deadline, the 21 member panel had finished its statement on methods through which the California Air Resources Board should set 2020 and 2035 greenhouse gas (GHG) targets for each of the State’s major regions. 

As a member of the RTAC, I had the opportunity to directly engage with elected officials, directors of the State’s major MPOs,  representatives of cities and local transportation agencies, business and development interests, environmentalists, public interest representatives,  and academics in a highly technical yet highly political effort to help mold California’s economic and environmental future.  It was exhilarating at times and grueling at others, but I am proud of the results.  Critical decisions and recommendations were reached, most of them unanimous and all by consensus on issues ranging from:

• Interregional consistency, but flexibility and sensitivity to local differences,
• A collaborative bottom-up process for the regions to advise ARB on ambitious but achievable Statewide targets,
• Technical methods and a continuous improvement program to developing better models and information,
• Tools to convey strategy options and their effects in non-technical terms and to engage the public and elected officials in the process,
• Guidelines for addressing the role of the economic crisis, funding shortages, social equity, and co-benefits of climate and energy actions, and
• Performance monitoring

The full 68-page report is available by RTAC Report – click here.  Excellent summaries, produced by the League of California Cities, are located here.   Two points of clarification I offer on the LCC summaries are illustrative of key RTAC recommendations:

Concerning a region’s opportunity to take credit for improvements to vehicle fuel efficiency and cleaner-burning fuels the RTAC found that:

• SB 375 requires ARB to account for improved vehicle emission standards, changes in the carbon-intensity of fuels and future measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from these sources when setting the statewide targets. So region’s can not individually claim credit, but
• It is appropriate for MPOs to use, with sufficient documentation, transportation sector GHG reductions such as electric-vehicle subsidy programs and vehicle retirement incentives that go beyond the benefits from State and federal actions to meet their target and receive credit for local/regional innovation.

Concerning creating a level playing field for early achievers and late starters and dealing with the role of the economic downturn, the report recommends the target be based on a percentage reduction against a 2005 benchmark for each region’s individual  GHG per capita.  This gives regions credit for their achievements up to 2005 by reducing the amount of GHG per capita that those early-actors need to reduce (but not the percent).  Fixing the date at 2005 also avoids building into the targets abnormal and (we hope) temporary effects of the economy in employment, home sales, spending and travel.  The State and regional forecasts of population and jobs in 2020 will take into consideration the economic downturn, so the amount of GHG reduction that will need to be accomplished in 2020 will likely be less than it would have been under more normal 2005-to-2020 growth rate.

So what perspective does my 9-month RTAC service give me on the near-term role of California transportation planners in addressing climate challenge?  I have three suggestions:

1. Engage with MPOs, cities and counties, developers, business, and the public in the concentrated MPO blueprint-style scenario planning process in early 2010.
2. Anticipate the State Proposition 84 grants that will be available in 2010 for sustainable general plans, specific plans, community plans, and zoning ordinances
3. Prepare for a new era of performance evaluations on integrated land use and transportation strategy plans at both the regional and local levels, with strategies emphasizing best management practices, and with performance metrics focused fuel conservation, carbon emissions reduction, and co-benefits to the economy, social equity and public health.  
4. Cities and counties should update their general plans to incorporate GHG reduction goals.  These updates need to consider how GHG reduction goals should be balanced against other community values.