The Marin County Civil
Grand Jury on Monday recommended reducing greenhouse gases by eliminating
natural gas as an energy source for new construction, along with the
replacement of gas appliances and equipment within existing structures when
outdated or nonfunctioning,
Detailing the path toward
electrifying the county, the report writers said the state’s next building code
update will not occur until 2025. In the interim, it is up to local
jurisdictions to decide whether to adopt more restrictive “reach” codes (that
reach beyond the state’s minimum requirements for energy use) or take other
measures banning or limiting the use of natural gas in newly constructed
buildings.
Currently, more than 50
local jurisdictions throughout California have adopted codes that reach beyond
state minimum requirements for energy use in building design and construction.
Some jurisdictions in the North Bay have moved to ban natural gas, though in
some cities, that action has triggered legal action.
So far within Marin
County, Fairfax is the only city to have adopted an all-electric requirement
for new buildings. Within Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, 20 cities have
adopted their own building electrification reach codes.
In January, 2021, the
Journal reported that construction experts cite California Energy Commission
numbers that say residential housing accounts for 7% of greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions, compared with transportation at 41% and industry at 24%. They say
their industry is not a major contributor to the climate change, which some
scientists say is accelerated by those emissions.
Deborah Haase, foreperson
of the 19-member Marin Civil Grand Jury, said Monday the investigation into its
recommendations on electrification of Marin was conducted over nine months,
“researching existing state and federal statutes and reports.”
“We also met with elected
officials, department heads, staff members, and several conservation and
climate action groups before drafting proposed recommendations. This is the
first report to be issued on this topic.”
The report was sent to the
Marin Board of Supervisors as well as city and town leaders throughout the
county who now have 90 days to respond. As replies are received, the Grand Jury
will publish comments on its official website.
Based on this feedback, it
will be up to Marin County Supervisors to decide next steps that could lead to
amendments or adoption of a countywide Climate Action Plan that might include
public hearings or other steps leading to local regulations. Meanwhile, local
jurisdictions can also move forward to adopt such plans for cities and towns.
California legislation
passed in 2016 requires state agencies to enact regulations and implement
programs that will result in a statewide reduction in GHG emissions to 40%
below 1990 levels by 2030.
While a report issued
between 2018 and 2019 showed the second largest percentage decrease in GHG
since 2010 (a drop of 1.6%), this is far short of what is needed to meet the
deadline.
California must now sustain
a 4.3% annual decrease through 2030 – a reduction more than 2.5 times greater
than it was in 2019, based on the California Green Innovation Index.
The report said this may
soon change based on current efforts within the county to develop and
disseminate a model reach code addressing electrification in new construction
and in certain types of building renovations.
The report recognizes that
replacing natural gas in existing structures could involve voluntary or
eventually mandatory requirements that could also include subsidies and
assistance for low- income populations to offset replacement costs and how can
electrification programs be structured to consider the needs of Marin’s
underserved communities.
While comprehensive in
scope, the report does not address possible issues that could occur from having
just a single source of energy that could fail during outages caused by
weather, wildfires, equipment failures and accidents during cold months when a
power outage can leave building occupants without a backup energy source for
heat and hot water – as was the case in Texas and in the Northeast last winter.
Other questions raised by
the Civil Grand Jury include the best way to extend electrification initiatives
to homes that are undergoing renovations and to large multi-unit residential
buildings.
The report asks, “Can
consumers be incentivized to voluntarily replace gas-fueled appliances with
electric ones?”
North Bay Business Journal
Gary Quackenbush
June 6, 2022
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