The City of San José has updated its strategy for greenhouse gas reduction in alignment with Senate Bill (SB) 32, which established an interim statewide greenhouse gas reduction goal for 2030 to meet the long-term target of carbon neutrality by 2045 (Executive Order B-55-18).

SB 32 expands upon Assembly Bill (AB) 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, and requires a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of at least 40% below the 1990 levels by 2030.

The City’s 2030 Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy (2030 GHGRS) is a comprehensive update to the city’s original GHGRS and reflects the plans, policies, and codes as approved by the City Council. The strategy builds on the City’s Envision San José 2040 General Plan and Climate Smart San José -- these plans expanded the City’s Green Vision to advance urban sustainability. Leveraging these existing plans and supporting policy and program frameworks, the 2030 GHGRS provides a set of strategies and additional actions for achieving the 2030 target.

The technical underpinnings and supporting studies for the 2030 GHGRS are available here:

• Appendix A: 2017 Inventory of Community Greenhouse Gas Emissions, ICLEI
• Appendix B: GHG Emissions Reduction Target Options Memorandum
• Appendix C: Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Strategies Memorandum

The 2030 GHGRS serves as a Qualified Climate Action Plan for purposes of tiering and streamlining under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The Development Compliance Checklist serves to apply the relevant General Plan and 2030 GHGRS policies through a streamlined review process for proposed new development projects that are subject to discretionary review and that trigger environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

• Attachment A: Development Compliance Checklist

In November 2010, the City adopted the Envision San José 2040 General Plan and certified an associated Program Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and Supplemental Environmental Impact Report. The potential impact of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change related to the implementation of the General Plan were analyzed in the Supplemental EIR. The EIR studied the underlying causes of climate change; included forecasts of the City’s potential future greenhouse gas emissions; and identified measures the City is taking to limit its contribution to cumulative greenhouse gas emissions. Based on this analysis, the City adopted a Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy as a part of the General Plan.

The City first prepared a Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy together with the preparation of the Envision San José 2040 General Plan to ensure that implementation of the General Plan aligns with the greenhouse gas reduction targets set by AB 32.

The first GHG Reduction Strategy included two approaches to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions by year 2020:

1. Specific City-sponsored initiatives and actions on which the City has direct control (e.g., Green Vision and implementation of the General Plan), and
2. Policies to direct, guide or influence actions of third parties to implement and maintain consistency with the Strategy on a project-by-project basis.

For questions about the GHGRS 2030, please contact:

David Keyon
Principal Planner
David.Keyon@sanjoseca.gov

and

Martina Davis
Division Manager
Martina.Davis@sanjoseca.gov