Important re: 11/19 Reach Code Call to Action - sample public comments

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june.brashares

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Nov 18, 2019, 12:57:18 AM11/18/19
to dtexas wheeler, c-o...@350kitty.net, ClimateActivists-SC, OSC Earth Action, May 1st Coalition, AJR (Alliance for a Just Recovery), sunri...@gmail.com, Sonoma-NoDAPL, Anti-Racist Allies SC
Hi all, and thanks Diane & Hoai-An for the information in your emails. 

A Cqouncilmember supportive of the all-electric reach code has alerted that it's very important for the City Council to continue to hear from folks in support of the all-electric reach code for Tuesday's critical vote.

There is an expectation that the fossil fuel lobby, propane businesses, etc...will show up to speak in opposition and are pushing hard against it.

I've heard it will matter if there are members of the public speaking in support of the all-electric reach code to get the votes at Tuesday's City Council meeting.

Hopefully you can attend and speak there. If you're like me and can't be there in person (I'm on a train on the east coast), you can send an email to the Councilmembers right now in advance of their meeting. Most marvelous if you can do both.

Thanks for all your efforts!
June

Sent from my phone.

-------- Original message --------
From: dtexas wheeler <dtexas...@gmail.com>
Date: 11/17/19 9:12 PM (GMT-05:00)
Cc: ClimateActivists-SC <ClimateAc...@googlegroups.com>, OSC Earth Action <osc_eart...@googlegroups.com>, May 1st Coalition <may1st-c...@googlegroups.com>, "AJR (Alliance for a Just Recovery)" <alliance4j...@googlegroups.com>, sunri...@gmail.com, Sonoma-NoDAPL <Sonoma...@googlegroups.com>, Anti-Racist Allies SC <anti-racist-alli...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re:  [Climate Activists-SC] 11/19 Reach Code Call to Action - sample public comments

Thank you Hoai-An for including your succinct comments on why we need to move toward all electric 

The vote on this is this Tuesday 19th at SR city council. Item number is 15.3 (I think) so will happen later in the session. 

People are asked to come by 6:30 to be ready to make your comments on the all electric reach code. Last week comments on this agenda item began around 8pm. No way to know what time they will begin this week but 6:30 seems earliest 

Public comments on NON AGENDA items is at 5 as usual for any other climate related comments. 

Sent from my iPhone

On Nov 17, 2019, at 2:59 PM, Hoai-An <c-o...@350kitty.net> wrote:


<Santa Rosa Reach Code.jpg>

Hi folks,

Once again, I urge you to support the reach code for Santa Rosa this Tuesday, Nov. 19. Also ask any young people you know - particularly who helped organize the big Climate Strike on Sept. 20 to support. Note that as fossil fuel extraction often impacts low-income communities/ communities of color the most, this is absolutely a social justice issue.

Someone emailed me asking why we need to go all-electric. The quick explanation is that methane is the main component in natural gas. Methane is more than 80 TIMES more potent a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Our existing natural gas infrastructure already leaks lots of methane. We shouldn't be adding any new fossil fuel infrastructure.

Here are two public comments I read to the San Jose City Council just recently. I've corrected some of the info/added in a little more detail that I couldn't include in a 2-minute public comment. I've also included my public comment on declaring a climate emergency, which I did not need to read, as the council ended public comments early and moved to vote for the climate emergency declaration immediately.

Feel free to use these to make your own public comments or borrow any info.

_______

2019-09-10 Reach Code (REVISED 11/2019)

WHAT IS A REACH CODE?

Reach codes are building codes adopted by cities or counties that require greater energy efficiency than the statewide building codes. Reach codes must also be cost-effective. Reach codes apply to all new construction, and are updated every three years.

So WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT?

In San Jose, buildings are the second largest source of emissions (nearly 40%) after transportation (46%). About 2/3 of the emissions is from gas usage.

Methane is the main ingredient in natural gas. Natural gas extraction (fracking) releases a lot of methane, which is more than 80 times more potent at trapping heat than carbon dioxide. Fossil fuel extraction including natural gas often happens in low-income neighborhoods, and releases hazardous toxins, often right next to residences and SCHOOLS. Gas rates are going to go up - to upgrade aging gas infrastructure.

For health, climate & equity reasons, it’s important that we stop building new fossil fuel gas infrastructure and instead use clean energy. All-electric buildings are actually more cost-effective these days. Residents can save $4000 to $10,000 on utility bills over 20 years.
 
_________

Here is my related public comment re: San Jose’s supplemental policies which are even stronger than the new Reach Code San Jose voted in on 9/17/19. The city council voted for the supplemental policies as well:


2019-10-29 Supplemental Policies

My name is Hoai-An Truong. I am a climate activist and resident of district 3. I am a member of Mothers Out Front mobilizing for a livable climate, and Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action.

I was living in Santa Rosa when we experienced one of the most destructive fires in history. Now the Kincade Fire is raging in Sonoma County, which is still recovering from the last firestorm. This time, the evacuation area is many times larger, spreading all the way out to the coast.

We can’t dither and delay this ban on natural gas in new buildings. Methane, the main ingredient of natural gas, is more than 80 times more potent a greenhouse gas than CO2. Our aging gas infrastructure is leaking methane. Last summer, a study  found that U.S. oil and gas operations are leaking 60 percent more methane than the EPA had previously calculated. We cannot be adding more fossil fuel infrastructure. We are running out of time. If we don't reduce and REMOVE carbon in the atmosphere, these fires, drought, food insecurity, homelessness and many other problems are just going to get worse.

On behalf of Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action, we ask you to do your part to save our future. Don’t delay this action which we must take.

Buildings produce the 2nd largest emissions in San Jose after transportation. Fossil fuels are killing us, killing the planet. You have the chance to speed us along to a clean energy future, and away from fossil fuels. Where cities lead, the State of California often follows. You could set the standard for the state. Which in turn will inspire other cities and states across the nation and across the globe.
_________

Here is an article which helps people to understand the advances in electrical appliance technology. Most people my age or older (including myself) have really loathed all-electric kitchens for decades. But the technology has vastly improved. Please read this article which I wrote - or at least watch the short videos:


Additionally, heat pump technology has also greatly improved efficiency for both heating and cooling (air conditioning), and saves money on utility bills for years to come, as renewable energy costs diminish over time.
________

This is my public comment asking the City of San Jose to declare a climate emergency:

The effects we are seeing now (for example raging wildfires that are only going to increase in size and ferocity, and severe impacts on food production, and more), these are the delayed effects from emissions starting 30 years ago. The oceans absorb temperature and carbon dioxide and create a roughly 30-year lag between greenhouse-gas emissions and their effects. We are currently seeing the effects of greenhouse gases emitted before 1980.
 
More and more data is coming to light that was not included in the IPCC report, or is just being discovered. I believe we have more like 5 years, not 11.

In addition to the mayor’s proposed reach code, we MUST work on ways to sequester carbon (that is to say pulling carbon out of the atmosphere). We need to declare a climate emergency to mobilize and work on carbon sequestration as well as emissions reduction such as carbon farming, composting and reducing food waste which are among the top 11 ways to reduce and even REVERSE the climate crisis. We need a public bank to help us fund climate resilliency, and much more. We need a World War II scale mobilization to address thi crisis.

As Bill McKibben says, "Given the magnitude of the task, everyone has to step up their game."

Please declare an emergency now.
_____________

Share event on Facebook/social media:


Share WaccoBB.net announcement (if you are not on Facebook):


Thank you!

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A.A.Nagy

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Nov 18, 2019, 2:04:17 AM11/18/19
to june.brashares, dtexas wheeler, Hoai-An, ClimateActivists-SC, OSC Earth Action, May 1st Coalition, AJR (Alliance for a Just Recovery), sunri...@gmail.com, Sonoma-NoDAPL, Mara Ventura, Anti-Racist Allies SC

In proposing all-electric it is important to consider and suggest how to transition jobs from fossil fuel/gas related employment to clean energy jobs. Otherwise there will be strong opposition from workers who now earn a living from fossil fuel/gas related work. That discussion needs to be in the mix when insisting on the all-electric reach code. Respect all working people. They are our neighbors.

I’m not on some of the lists addressed in this email but please share this concern. I added Mara Ventura, ED of North Bay Jobs with Justice.

Attila Nagy
__


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Hoai-An

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Nov 18, 2019, 3:51:59 PM11/18/19
to dtexas wheeler, june.brashares, ClimateActivists-SC, OSC Earth Action, May 1st Coalition, AJR (Alliance for a Just Recovery), sunri...@gmail.com, Sonoma-NoDAPL, Anti-Racist Allies SC
Thank you Pete! and the others sharing information. Here's a sample letter from a Los Altos activist, that also gives more information:

Please join Menlo Park, Mountain View, Morgan Hill, San José, Pacifica, and others in championing building electrification. Cities are recognizing how important a fossil-free future is to our community’s health, safety, climate, and future, and I don’t want our city left behind.


An all-electric Reach Code has MANY advantages: (mix and match, pick one or more, add your own thoughts, too)


  • Easier. All-electric code can be contained in a few as two pages, avoids complex compliance or EDR margins complications and extra design time, is easier and faster for building and planning staff to apply, and is easier for builders, contractors, installers, architects, developers, and consumers to understand. All-electric buildings are also generally faster to design, permit, and build, and gives everyone a level playing field.

  • Future Proof. All-electric code today prevents a complex, costly switch to electricity in the future, when the price of gas goes up, due to diminishing demand, and when regulations beyond the city level will dictate it. PG&E has asked for a 24% gas rate increase and So Cal Gas, a 42% increase, over the next couple years, and this is just the beginning. Do not strand your buildings with expensive and outmoded gas infrastructure.

  • Cheaper. All-electric are cheaper to build, usually $6,000-8,000 for a single family home, and cheaper for occupants to maintain and operate, saving the typical residential customer money on their utility bills due to the remarkable efficiency of modern electrical appliances.

  • Healthier and Safer. All-electric buildings are healthier and safer for occupants. Gas is the leading cause of structure fires, burns, and carbon monoxide poisoning, and gas cooktops are potent sources of indoor air pollution. Cooking on a gas cooktop releases fine particulate matter, smog-like compounds, and formaldehyde, and is known to exacerbate asthma. 


I look forward to [the City of ________ ] moving forward as quickly as possible. 


Thank you for your climate leadership.


On Mon, Nov 18, 2019 at 11:47 AM dtexas wheeler <dtexas...@gmail.com> wrote:
Yes - great point - for anyone who cannot attend but wants to send in comments - if you send to cityc...@srcity.org and note it is for public record then it will be. Sending to individual council members is good to but does not guarantee the comments go on record. 

Diane


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Pete Gang

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Nov 18, 2019, 4:06:38 PM11/18/19
to c-o...@350kitty.net, Diane Wheeler, June Brashares, ClimateActivists-SC, OSC Earth Action, May 1st Coalition, AJR (Alliance for a Just Recovery), sunri...@gmail.com, Sonoma-NoDAPL, Anti-Racist Allies SC
Hoai-An and others,

Here is the text of the letter I’ve sent to all the city councilmembers in all the Bay Area jurisdictions that are currently considering an all-electic reach code.

Dear Council members,

I am writing with regards to consideration of an all-electric reach code, scheduled for the November 18th, 2019 Burlingame City Council meeting.

As a California-licensed general building contractor (#B-504,602) and architect (#C-22,447) with over 30 years experience designing zero net energy (ZNE) and low-energy buildings, I would like to offer the following in strong support of “decarbonizing” our building stock, both new and existing:

My Top Twelve Arguments Against Natural Gas

1. All of the current literature substantiates the fact that all-electric new homes are less expensive to build than mixed-fuel homes. The most significant cost savings result from the avoided costs of installing the underground gas piping (from the gas main to the gas meter) and the gas piping inside the home.

According to the 2019 Cost-effectiveness Study: Low Rise Residential New Construction, released by California Energy Codes and Standards, incremental cost savings for an all-electric new single-family home (compared to a mixed-fuel new home) are estimated to be $6,171.

According to an April 2019 study funded by Southern California Edison, SMUD, and the LA Department of Water and Power titled Residential Building Electrification in California, initial cost savings are estimated to be in the range of $3,000 to $10,000.

According to a September 2018 report prepared by TRC Solutions for the City of Palo Alto titled, “City of Palo Alto 2019 Title 24 Energy Reach Code Cost Effectiveness Analysis DRAFT,” the costs saved by not installing natural gas in residential new construction — including plan review, street cut fee, connection charge to existing main, gas meter, gas piping within the residence, and the cost of appliances — total $6,314 (assuming iron piping).

2. [Applies in Sonoma County]: Even greater cost savings are available to fire survivors who choose to rebuild all-electric: the Advanced Energy Rebuild program (offered jointly by Sonoma Clean Power, PGE, and BAAQMD) offers financial incentives of up to $17,500 per home. 

3. Many builders conflate discussion of optional all-electric reach codes with discussion of mandatory changes in the upcoming 2019 CA Energy Codes (which take effect January 1, 2020). The 2019 Energy Codes will require installation of a PV system of sufficient size to provide for the electric needs of a mixed-fuel home (typically a ~2.5 kW system). Even though this added feature has been proven cost-effective over a 30-year timeframe, it is expected to add around $10,000 to the cost of a new home (at approximately $4 per watt). 

4. Not only does all-electric construction result in reduced initial costshomeowners will see reduced ongoing utility costs due to efficiencies of 300% or more that are typical of electric heat-pump technologies used for heating/cooling and water heating. In contrast, gas appliances have a theoretical maximum efficiency of only 100%. 

5. Builders also mention that their customers don’t like cooking on electric stoves. They are thinking of the old radiant coil electric cooktops. Few of these customers are familiar with electric induction cooktops, which are the new standard. Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) reports that 91% of people who try cooking on an electric induction cooktop, prefer it over gas.

6. Replacing gas appliances with electric appliances results in healthier indoor environments. We are required to install carbon monoxide (CO) detectors in all new residential construction due to the hazards associated with combustion byproducts. Electric appliances do not carry similar hazards.

7. The California Energy Commission acknowledges that we are moving inexorably toward all-electric buildings and away from using natural gas. 

8. PGE acknowledges that we are moving inexorably toward all-electric buildings and away from using natural gas. In a letter dated August 21, 2019 to Windsor Town Manager Ken McNab, PGE Vice President Robert S. Kenney states, “PG&E welcomes the opportunity to avoid investments in new gas assets that might later prove underutilized as local governments and the state work together to realize long-term decarbonization objectives. With all this in mind, PG&E supports local government policies that promote all-electric new construction when cost effective.”

9. When builders attempt to compare the greenhouse gas emissions of gas appliances with those of electric appliances, they typically limit their discussion to CO2 emissions and neglect to mention emissions of CH4, or methane, which comprises ~85% of natural gas. We now understand that methane is a relatively short-lived greenhouse gas with over 100 times the heat-trapping potential of CO2 on an annual basis. Fugitive emissions of methane occur at all points in the production, distribution, and storage of natural gas and are currently conservatively estimated to be around 3% of production. 

10. 90% of the natural gas used in California is imported from out of state and obtained through hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. It is now widely understood that fracking is associated with a long list of catastrophic consequences, including aquifer depletion, aquifer contamination, destruction of landscapes, air pollution, and widespread physical and mental health consequences.

11. Builders sometimes suggest that instead of working to reduce or eliminate the use of natural gas in buildings we should work on reducing emissions from the transportation sector. It’s not an “either-or.” We need to do all of the above.

12. Builders sometimes bemoan the fact that these proposed changes are happening so fast. The reason that we are calling it a climate emergency is because it is an emergency. One responds to an emergency with appropriate alacrity.

Thank you for your vision and your courage!

Toward a livable planet for all future generations,

Pete Gang, Architect

 


Emerald

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Nov 19, 2019, 8:07:08 AM11/19/19
to OSC - Earth Action Campaign

It must be pointed out that this ordinance does not stop anyone from using natural gas already installed, and that in the new buildings that the reach code affects the new 2019 building code requires them to have solar panels. A local solar installer and battery expert told me that Enphase is now bringing new technology to market now that will allow people with solar panels to operate their homes using the panels even if they don't have battery back up.

The question of how to retrofit existing homes with renewable energy during power outages is exactly the conversation that is proceeding now, and will likely involve a complete change in the way our electricity service providers work. For now, what is clear is that if we don't take some baby steps in that direction, like passing this reach code, manufacturers will not be incentivized to bring solutions like Enphase is bringing to consumers at low prices.

I repeat, this will not stop anyone from using natural gas in existing buildings. It will only apply to buildings that are required by the new code to have solar panels anyway. It also does not stop anyone from using portable propane tanks to power cooking or generators that can keep electricity going in homes.

Andy Ferguson

(re-posted from another listserv)



On Monday, November 18, 2019 at 5:57:18 AM UTC, june.brashares wrote:
Hi all, and thanks Diane & Hoai-An for the information in your emails. 

A Cqouncilmember supportive of the all-electric reach code has alerted that it's very important for the City Council to continue to hear from folks in support of the all-electric reach code for Tuesday's critical vote.

There is an expectation that the fossil fuel lobby, propane businesses, etc...will show up to speak in opposition and are pushing hard against it.

I've heard it will matter if there are members of the public speaking in support of the all-electric reach code to get the votes at Tuesday's City Council meeting.

Hopefully you can attend and speak there. If you're like me and can't be there in person (I'm on a train on the east coast), you can send an email to the Councilmembers right now in advance of their meeting. Most marvelous if you can do both.

Thanks for all your efforts!
June

Sent from my phone.

-------- Original message --------
From: dtexas wheeler <dtexas...@gmail.com>
Date: 11/17/19 9:12 PM (GMT-05:00)

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