Climate Change
Hospital Required to Mitigate GHGs
03/28/12
TRANSDEF, along with
fellow litigants the Sierra Club and the California
Nurses Association, prevailed in a challenge to
Sonoma County’s approval of a new Sutter Hospital on
the fringe of Santa Rosa. They challenged the
Environmental Impact Report as being inadequate in
mitigating greenhouse gases, because of the site
being totally auto-dependent. After several hearings
and appearances before a judge, the County agreed to
require Sutter Hospital to provide a shuttle to the
hospital from the nearest SMART rail station. Sutter
will also provide free bus and train passes to its
employees, in addition to other incentives for
vanpooling and carpooling.
These may possibly be the first mitigations in California imposed specifically for GHG impacts. Check out the Press Democrat story.
These may possibly be the first mitigations in California imposed specifically for GHG impacts. Check out the Press Democrat story.
RTP Submission by TAM
10/27/11
TRANSDEF’s Comments to the
Transportation Authority of Marin
Regional Transportation Plan Discussion, 10-27-11
You have the authority to set a
very new direction for transportation in this county.
But you would never know it by reading the staff
report. Judging by the report, this agenda item
appears to be just another routine item.
The whole point of this agenda item last month had
been to ask you what weight to give to each of the
RTP candidate priority criteria. But that focus has
been buried. It isn't at all clear what you are
expected to do with this item. If you had been
properly briefed by staff, you would recognize this
item as the ultimate transportation policy setting
discussion.
In my view, this is yet another in a long history of
presentations shaped to maintain the status quo.
TAM's predecessor agency had an ugly practice of
keeping decision makers in the dark, so as to have
staff positions
rubber-stamped.
Air Resources Board Doesn't Cave But Doesn't Lead Either
09/23/10
The Air Resources Board
(ARB) adopted today a set of GHG emissions reduction
targets for each of California’s regions. The
building industry had conducted an intense campaign
to get ARB to reduce the proposed targets to
less-challenging levels. TRANSDEF’s President, David
Schonbrunn, testified about how the proposed targets
were inadequate to even keep current levels of GHGs
from motor vehicles from growing. Here’s his
testimony: Read
More...
Clean Air Plan Adopted
09/15/10
The Bay Area Air
Quality Management District (BAAQMD) adopted its 2010
Clean Air Plan for the Bay Area. The plan is the
first in the nation to offer a comprehensive approach
to reducing all significant air pollutants, instead
of treating them separately, as has been standard
practice. TRANSDEF applauds the District for its
excellent and innovative work.
Upon noticing that the Clean Air Plan would result in excessive particulate matter in the air, TRANSDEF’s President David Schonbrunn spoke to the Board of Directors and suggested that a mitigation be adopted to reduce the source of growing particulate pollution: motor vehicles. Read More...
Upon noticing that the Clean Air Plan would result in excessive particulate matter in the air, TRANSDEF’s President David Schonbrunn spoke to the Board of Directors and suggested that a mitigation be adopted to reduce the source of growing particulate pollution: motor vehicles. Read More...
RTP Guidelines Revisions Adopted
04/29/10
The California
Transportation Commission adopted revisions to the statewide Regional
Transportation Plan Guidelines in response to all
the changes resulting from SB 375. That law
requires RTPs to contain a sustainable communities
strategy, which attempts to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions to meet a target set by the State Air
Resources Board. TRANSDEF participated actively in
the revision process and is very pleased with the
results.
Air District Revising CEQA Guidelines
12/08/09
The Bay Area Air
Quality Management District will consider the
adoption of new CEQA Thresholds of Significance at a
hearing on January 6, 2010 at 9:45 AM. The documents
to be considered for approval can be found on
their website.
These revisions will result in environmental impact reports that evaluate greenhouse gas emissions. They will also result in obstacles to projects that would add pollution to over-burdened environmental justice communities. TRANSDEF is generally supportive of the leadership the District is offering in this area.
These revisions will result in environmental impact reports that evaluate greenhouse gas emissions. They will also result in obstacles to projects that would add pollution to over-burdened environmental justice communities. TRANSDEF is generally supportive of the leadership the District is offering in this area.
Finally, Someone's Writing about Highway Widening
11/24/09
MTC continues to make
ludicrous claims that their proposed HOT lanes
network will result in decreased GHG emissions,
despite the new lanes’ encouragement of a significant
increase in driving in the Bay Area. Given MTC’s
intention to go forward with this massively
counterproductive project, it is heartening that the
Sightline Institute has produced an important study
on the expected long-term increase in GHG emissions
that will result from highway widening. Finally,
someone in transportation is making sense! See
our Smart Growth
Resources page.
RTP Guidelines Revision Process
11/18/09
The California
Transportation Commission is conducting a thorough
process to revise the statewide Regional
Transportation Plan Guidelines, in response to all
the changes resulting from SB 375. That law requires
RTPs to contain a sustainable communities strategy,
which attempts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to
meet a target set by the State Air Resources Board.
Check out the CTC webpage.
Statewide CEQA Guidelines Revisions
11/15/09
In response to SB 97
and AB 32, the California Resources Agency has been
revising the Guidelines under which the California
Environmental Quality Act is implemented. These
revisions call for the analysis of greenhouse gas
emissions as part of standard environmental review
under CEQA, including the analysis of the impacts of
the emissions and their mitigation. Check out
their website.
Jeff Tumlin Leads the Way!
07/28/09
Jeff Tumlin of
Nelson-Nygaard gave a rousing presentation at the
Joint Policy Committee. He made it clear that
managing parking is a key strategy for reducing GHG
emissions. Check out his report and
Powerpoint.
Caltrans Introduces Smart Mobility
06/22/09
Caltrans offered a
workshop last week in Sacramento on their new Smart
Mobility Framework. This is a program that
Caltrans has developed in association with EPA.
It takes Smart Growth principles and integrates
them into transportation in a manner that
environmental activists will find both familiar and
heartening. Read
More...
Comments Filed on Sonoma Transportation Plan
06/22/09
TRANSDEF filed comments on the Draft
EIR for the Sonoma County Transportation
Authority’s Comprehensive Transportation Plan.
Find them next to the New! logo. Read
More...
TRANSDEF on the radio
03/04/09
TRANSDEF's President David Schonbrunn appeared on
Stanford University Radio's Raising Sand Radio
program. The one-hour show
provides a good overview for Bay Area and
California transportation issues, from an
activist's point of view.
The Regional Transportation Plan is nearing adoption
03/04/09
On March 13th, MTC will have a meeting of its
Planning Committee to go over final details of its
draft Regional Transportation Plan, for approval on
March 25th. Read
More...