Environment

Planning Commission Recommends Approval of County Climate Action Plan

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The San Diego County Planning Commission voted 6-1 Thursday to recommend that the County’s Board of Supervisors approve the County’s revised Climate Action Plan, with some modifications.

The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to consider the revised Climate Action Plan and the Planning Commission’s recommendation Feb 14.

A draft Climate Action Plan was released for public review and comment last August. It is designed to cut greenhouse gases in the County’s unincorporated communities and County facilities and properties to meet state reduction targets for 2020 and 2030.

The revised CAP presented to the commission today is written to meet the targets through actions that balance environmental, economic and community interests, while taking into account the largely rural character of the unincorporated County.

The revised plan includes 11 strategies and 30 measures to cut greenhouse gases. The measures that reduce the most greenhouse gas include: an incentive program to encourage the installation of solar photovoltaic panels on existing homes to generate electricity without relying upon greenhouse gas emitting power plants, increasing renewable energy overall, diverting more trash away from landfills, and improving the energy efficiency of new development.

County Planning & Development Services staff provided planning commissioners with a staff recommendation and three options that included revisions the department made to the plan based on public comment.

The commission voted that the board approve Option Three. Some of the revisions the option included were to increase the percentage of solid waste diversion away from landfills from 75 to 80 percent by 2030, increase the renewable energy program from 90 to 100 percent renewable electricity by 2030, and to eliminate five measures that would impact costs to housing and commercial development.

The Climate Action Plan was created with input from local residents and more than 50 stakeholder groups, ranging from environmental to business and community organizations, collected in more than 100 public workshops, meetings and events.

Gig Conaughton is a communications specialist with the County of San Diego Communications Office. Contact