TITLE
Recommendation to request City Attorney to draft a resolution in support of SB 696 (Wright) - Emission Reduction Credits and direct City Manager to communicate the City's support to Long Beach legislative offices.
DISCUSSION
Thousands of businesses and essential public services have been forced to delay or cancel projects to install modern, cleaner equipment that reduces harmful emission and reduce green house gas emissions due to a recent state court ruling that forced the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) to stop issuing permits relying on the District’s internal offset accounts. Affected businesses include essential public services, such as sewage treatment plants, hospital, schools, fire and police stations, and landfill gas to energy projects, gas stations dry cleaners, auto body shops, printers and food manufactures. As a result, almost 1,000 permits are on hold, with potentially over 3,000 existing permits relying on the District’s internal offsets accounts representing over 2,000 facilities in further jeopardy, which will have to be revoked. In Long Beach, approximately 136 permits submitted 1996-1998 would be revoked with 25 current permits application on hold.
In response, Senator Rod Wright introduced SB 696 to re-establish SCAQMD’s internal offset account and allow access to its priority reserve. The legislation provides a limited California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to certain SCAQMD rules which will allow the issuance of required SCAQMD permits for the construction of fire stations, police stations, hospital power generators, electricity generators and other projects that are essential public services. Without this legislation, the lack of SCAQMD permits means lost jobs and delays in building needed projects, particularly for projects that would be eligible for receiving ‘Stimulus Funding’ from the federal government and cannot be build without SCAQMD permits.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Res...
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