Contra Costa County, CA

Contra Costa County adopted a Climate Action Plan in December 2015. The Climate Action Plan will be updated over the next two years as part of an update to our General Plan. The County has robust programs that address solid waste and energy efficiency. We are developing implementation plans for a Complete Streets policy adopted in 2017. We collaborate regularly with the Contra Costa Transportation Authority, an important partner because vehicle emissions are one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in our County.

Specific projects we are working on that will increase our contribution to the broad goals of We Are Still In include:
* A Renewable Resource Potential Study that will identify the potential in the County for renewable energy, particularly wind, solar, biomass, and biogas. While the County’s zoning ordinances encourage the installation of renewable energy for use on a residence or business, the ordinances that apply to energy generated for commercial purposes allow only wind. (It’s worth noting that the County issues about 1,500 permits each year for rooftop solar on homes.) The Renewable Resource Potential Study will assess opportunities for solar, wind, biomass, and biogas resources in the unincorporated County and on facilities owned or leased by the County. It will identify changes to County zoning ordinances that would be helpful to accommodate deployment of renewable resources while prioritizing the highest and best use of land, particularly areas that are used for agriculture or parks, or identified as habitat conservation areas.

* Electric Vehicle Readiness Blueprint. The County and the Contra Costa Transportation Authority will develop a web-based mapping document that will be available to the general public, local jurisdictions, and other stakeholders. It will map EV chargers throughout the County, as well as potential locations for shared mobility centers that could host EV fueling centers for a variety of vehicles, including fleets, transit, autonomous vehicles, electric bikes, and personal vehicles. A cornerstone of the Blueprint will be a tool box that provides best practices and policies for local governments regarding chargers, model developer requirements and ordinances, and strategies for how to price charging for different types of vehicles. The Blueprint also will look at the electricity grid and demand to determine where additional transmission and/or distribution capacity (or reductions in demand for electricity) are needed. Additionally, the County and the Transportation Authority will work with the Workforce Development Board and the Pittsburg Unified School District Adult Education program to develop a training program for people who want to install electric vehicle charging equipment and service electric vehicles.

* Cleaner Contra Costa. Cleaner Contra Costa is a two-year pilot program launching Fall 2018 to encourage and empower Contra Costa residents to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions based upon the “Go CO2 Free” online platform developed by Community Climate Solutions (CCS). The program will focus on enlisting participation of residents in the cities of Antioch, San Pablo, and Walnut Creek, as well as the unincorporated portions of the County. The platform will inform residents about effective actions they can take to reduce their GHG emissions and track their progress in doing so. Partners to this project include the cities of Antioch, San Pablo, and Walnut Creek, and Sustainable Contra Costa, a non-profit organization, as well as 511 Contra Costa and other non-profit and community groups. The goal of the project is to achieve the participation of at least 4,500 households in the project during the two-year period and to quantify the reduction in GHG emissions as a result of the actions taken by residents who utilize the platform.