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COUNTY OF SAN MATEO
Inter-Departmental Correspondence
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Department of Public Works
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DATE:
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November 25, 2008
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BOARD MEETING DATE:
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December 9, 2008
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SPECIAL NOTICE/HEARING:
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None
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VOTE REQUIRED:
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Majority
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TO:
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Honorable Board of Supervisors
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FROM:
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James C. Porter, Director of Public Works
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SUBJECT:
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Adoption of the Final San Mateo County Energy Strategy
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RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution adopting the final San Mateo County Energy Strategy (Energy Strategy).
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VISION ALIGNMENT:
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Commitment: Responsive, Effective and Collaborative Government.
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Goal (20): Government decisions are based on careful consideration of future impact, rather than temporary relief or immediate gain.
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Goal (22): County and local governments effectively communicate and collaborate in order to develop strategic approaches on issues affecting the entire County.
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This action furthers this commitment and goals through support of a guiding document for cities and the County to collaboratively address energy, water, and climate change issues.
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BACKGROUND:
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In late 2005, President of the Board of Supervisors, Jerry Hill proposed the need for a countywide task force to investigate and recommend how best to meet the county’s current and future energy needs.
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A November 2005 Board report recommended that San Mateo County’s Department of Public Works, Environmental and Waste Management Section (RecycleWorks), as staff for City and County Association of Governments (C/CAG), bring forward the idea of an energy strategy development process to C/CAG’s committee for discussion.
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In February 2006, the Congestion Management and Air Quality Committee (CMAQ) authorized the creation of an ad hoc energy-working group to develop an energy strategy for San Mateo County. The group was chartered to consider the county’s future energy and infrastructure needs and to recommend how to address these needs in an economically, socially and environmentally responsible manner.
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This working group became the Utility and Sustainability Task Force (USTF), an ad hoc committee of the Congestion Management and Environmental Quality Committee (CMEQ) of the City/County Association of Governments (C/CAG). Comprised of six elected officials and six stakeholder representatives, the USTF first met in June 2006 and began work on the energy strategy with a project consultant and County staff.
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The draft County Energy Strategy was completed in July 2008. The Executive Summary was presented to the C/CAG Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), the C/CAG Congestion Management and Environmental Quality (CMEQ) Committee, and the C/CAG Board of Directors in July and August 2008. The complete draft Energy Strategy was reviewed and approved by the County Board of Supervisors in September 2008. Both C/CAG and the Board of Supervisors authorized the distribution of the Energy Strategy to the cities in the county for comment.
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A complete draft copy of the Energy Strategy was sent to all City Managers and Mayors via mail and e-mail on September 18, 2008; cities were invited to submit comments to the County for consideration until October 15, 2008. The County received comments from cities and was able to incorporate many of the comments. Overall, the feedback was positive: cities said that the Energy Strategy would support their own climate action goals and efforts.
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DISCUSSION:
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The main objective of the San Mateo County Energy Strategy is to bring together local jurisdictions in the county to work collaboratively on energy and water-related issues and to define goals, strategies, and possible actions. The Strategy includes five main goals with associated strategies, actions, resources, and best practices to support them. These goals address renewable energy and energy efficiency, water conservation and new sources of water, collaboration between cities and the utilities, economic development opportunities, and the promotion of leadership on these issues in the county. The San Mateo County Energy Strategy is intended to be a working document and will be updated over time with resources and current data.
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We will be asking the San Mateo County cities to:
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Adopt the goals of the Energy Strategy.
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Commit to working collaboratively towards these goals with other cities and the County.
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Designate existing C/CAG committee members or at least one elected official and one internal staff to be the city’s main contact for Energy Strategy implementation.
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Release utility data to the County and C/CAG for the purposes of tracking the countywide energy- and water-use reduction goals.
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Complete energy, water and CO2 baseline inventories.
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A complete copy of the Energy Strategy, including the Executive Summary, seven sections that include Background, Context, Findings, Goals, Strategies, Recommended Actions and Next Steps, a Glossary, a Resources section and Appendix with reports has been provided to your Board. A document containing additional comments not incorporated into the document with responses is also provided for review.
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FISCAL IMPACT:
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None
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Attachment:
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Draft San Mateo County Energy Strategy – List of Comments and Actions Taken
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