November 2009 - Sustainability

[Sustain] BAEHP EJ Air Pollution Protocol With Attachment
by Eric Brooks 19 Nov '09

19 Nov '09

Hi all, See the alert below for more information about the Bay Area Environmental Health Collaborative and its proposed new pollution protocol; which we discussed at tonight's GM meeting. I've also attached the protocol as a pdf in case you'd rather read it as a file, instead of following the links in the email. peace Eric /* /Please forward widely (apologies for cross postings).../ ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ACTION ALERT!* Join the Bay Area Environmental Health Collaborative in demanding that the Bay Area Air Quality Management District acknowledge and address cumulative and inequitable impacts of toxic air pollution on low-income communities of color! BAEHC is demanding that the District adopt our proposed <http://www.baehc.org/downloadables/baehc_PollutionReductionProtocol_March20…>Pollution Reduction Protocol <http://www.baehc.org/downloadables/BAEHC_PollutionReductionProtocol_March20…>, which calls for an end to new pollution and the implementation of pollution reduction plans in overburdened communities. Recently, the District proposed regulatory changes that were a step in the right direction and would have created stricter air pollution thresholds in highly impacted communities. / However, after pressure from industry forces who demanded to conduct "business as usual," the District has now withdrawn their proposal for more health-protective standards in communities most impacted by pollution./ _* We need your support. Here's what you can do to help :*_ __* *(1) *Add your organization's name* to <http://baehc.org/AlliesSupport.html>our <http://baehc.org/AlliesSupport.html> <http://baehc.org/AlliesSupport.html>sign-on letter <http://www.baehc.org/AlliesSupport.html>. (2) *Mobilize with us* for the upcoming Air District Board meetings on *Nov. 18th and Dec. 2nd*. Get to the BAAQMD building at 9:30 to check in and tell them you're there for the Board meeting at <http://maps.google.com/maps/place?cid=1765079976699026846&q=939+ellis+st,+s…>939 Ellis St. in San Francisco <http://maps.google.com/maps/place?cid=1765079976699026846&q=939+ellis+st,+s…>. Transportation is available from the East Bay and Southeast San Francisco (contact BAEHC for details). (3) *Call the Air District *Board Member <http://www.sparetheair.org/sitecore/content/Home/The-Air-District/Board-of-…> <http://www.sparetheair.org/sitecore/content/Home/The-Air-District/Board-of-…>who /should /be representing you. Tell them to protect community health and adopt BAEHC's Pollution Reduction Protocol. BAAQMD should create regulations and guidelines that provide additional protection for communities most impacted by pollution. */It's time to speak up loud and clear...// /No more business as usual! Stop the pollution in our communities! * * * Bay Area Environmental Health Collaborative (415) 994-2496 www.baehc.org <http://www.baehc.org> /

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[Sustain] BAEHP Environmental Justice Air Pollution Protocol
by Eric Brooks 19 Nov '09

19 Nov '09

Hi all, See the alert below for more information about the Bay Area Environmental Health Collaborative and its proposed new pollution protocol; which we discussed at tonight's GM meeting. I've also attached the protocol as a pdf in case you'd rather read it as a file, instead of following the links in the email. peace Eric /* /Please forward widely (apologies for cross postings).../ ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ACTION ALERT!* Join the Bay Area Environmental Health Collaborative in demanding that the Bay Area Air Quality Management District acknowledge and address cumulative and inequitable impacts of toxic air pollution on low-income communities of color! BAEHC is demanding that the District adopt our proposed <http://www.baehc.org/downloadables/baehc_PollutionReductionProtocol_March20…>Pollution Reduction Protocol <http://www.baehc.org/downloadables/BAEHC_PollutionReductionProtocol_March20…>, which calls for an end to new pollution and the implementation of pollution reduction plans in overburdened communities. Recently, the District proposed regulatory changes that were a step in the right direction and would have created stricter air pollution thresholds in highly impacted communities. / However, after pressure from industry forces who demanded to conduct "business as usual," the District has now withdrawn their proposal for more health-protective standards in communities most impacted by pollution./ _* We need your support. Here's what you can do to help :*_ __* *(1) *Add your organization's name* to <http://baehc.org/AlliesSupport.html>our <http://baehc.org/AlliesSupport.html> <http://baehc.org/AlliesSupport.html>sign-on letter <http://www.baehc.org/AlliesSupport.html>. (2) *Mobilize with us* for the upcoming Air District Board meetings on *Nov. 18th and Dec. 2nd*. Get to the BAAQMD building at 9:30 to check in and tell them you're there for the Board meeting at <http://maps.google.com/maps/place?cid=1765079976699026846&q=939+ellis+st,+s…>939 Ellis St. in San Francisco <http://maps.google.com/maps/place?cid=1765079976699026846&q=939+ellis+st,+s…>. Transportation is available from the East Bay and Southeast San Francisco (contact BAEHC for details). (3) *Call the Air District *Board Member <http://www.sparetheair.org/sitecore/content/Home/The-Air-District/Board-of-…> <http://www.sparetheair.org/sitecore/content/Home/The-Air-District/Board-of-…>who /should /be representing you. Tell them to protect community health and adopt BAEHC's Pollution Reduction Protocol. BAAQMD should create regulations and guidelines that provide additional protection for communities most impacted by pollution. */It's time to speak up loud and clear...// /No more business as usual! Stop the pollution in our communities! * * * Bay Area Environmental Health Collaborative (415) 994-2496 www.baehc.org <http://www.baehc.org> /

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[Sustain] FW: Eco-Action Draft on BioFuels
by Martin Zehr 16 Nov '09

16 Nov '09

The Eco-Action Committee's current draft on biofuels http://gpus-food-water-energy.wetpaint.com/page/Biofuels Mato Ska Windows 7: It works the way you want. Learn more. _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail: Trusted email with Microsoft's powerful SPAM protection. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/177141664/direct/01/ http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/177141664/direct/01/

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[Sustain] SF Community Choice RFP Released! Forward Widely & Quickly!
by Eric Brooks 06 Nov '09

06 Nov '09

Hi all, Crucial news! The SFPUC (San Francisco Public Utilities Commission) has just released its Request For Proposals (RFP) for San Francisco's Community Choice (Clean Power SF) renewable energy project. Please spread the word very quickly to potential bidding companies, and organizers for clean energy. It is crucial that San Francisco's Community Choice project go to contract before PG&E's anti Community Choice measure goes to the California ballot next June; so that we can establish the strongest possible project to lead the way for the rest of the state, the country, and the planet, in reversing the climate crisis. Once a successful bid is accepted for this project, it will become the biggest municipal clean energy network in the world and build enough solar, wind and efficiency projects to power San Francisco on 50% clean, renewable electricity within the next decade. The released RFP is attached as a PDF file. Both it, and other important appendix documents, can be found on the SFPUC's web sit at: http://sfwater.org/custom/bid/planlist.cfm/bidtype/2/MC_ID/15/MSC_ID/147 under the heading "Electric Supply Services for the Community Choice Aggregation Program RFP". Here is the SFPUC's release announcement: http://sfwater.org/detail.cfm/MC_ID/17/MSC_ID/422/MTO_ID/736/C_ID/4789 City Plan to Provide Cleaner Energy to S.F. Residents & Businesses Advances Major Step Published: 11/05/2009 | Updated: 11/06/2009 Published By: Power Enterprise <http://sfwater.org/Dept.cfm/MC_ID/17/MSC_ID/422/MTO_ID/736/MO_ID/73> Release of CleanPowerSF Program Request for Proposals (RFP) Moves City Closer to Clean, Renewable Energy Goals SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) today released its Request for Proposal for the Community Choice Aggregation Program, known as CleanPowerSF. The RFP will bring the City one step closer to achieving its goals of providing electric energy to San Franciscans that is significantly greener than what PG&E currently delivers, all at competitive rates. The final RFP is a collaborative effort between the SFPUC and the San Francisco Local Agency Formation Commission (SF LAFCo). "With the unanimous support of the Board of Supervisors and the Mayor, the City's plan to provide clean renewable energy has reached a major milestone. This RFP positions the city to provide San Franciscans with a meaningful green energy alternative to PG&E's misdirected reliance on fossil fuels," said Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, LAFCo Chair, and sponsor of the CCA RFP legislation. "Selecting a partner to help us achieve the goals of CleanPowerSF -- locally-controlled, cleaner energy at competitive rates -- is the primary objective of the thorough and well balanced RFP that we released today," said Barbara Hale, SFPUC Assistant General Manager for Power. The final RFP clearly states the energy targets for CleanPowerSF. These targets specify: * 51% of electric energy be from renewable sources by 2017; and * 40% of energy needs be met from a combination of local and renewable sources by 2012; and * rates be competitive with PG&E. The RFP invites potential respondents, including large energy trading firms and renewable energy project developers, to submit proposals that are based on the City's renewable energy goals. Community Choice Aggregation, a state law passed in 2002, allows California cities and counties to combine their citizens' purchasing power to buy electricity, reducing consumer costs and enhancing local control and consumer protections. In 2007, San Francisco adopted its own energy blueprint called CleanPowerSF, based on the CCA model, with the specific goal of increasing the City's use of clean, renewable power. The released RFP follows a Request for Information (RFI) released by the SFPUC in 2007 and a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) released in 2009. To view the final RFP please visit http://sfwater.org/custom/bid/planlist.cfm/bidtype/2/MC_ID/15/MSC_ID/147.

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[Sustain] Email Today To Defend Local Pet Stores From Chain
by Eric Brooks 04 Nov '09

04 Nov '09

Hi all, My local owned and operated pet shop turned me on to a proposed invasion of a huge chain (Pet Food Express) into the Marina, which will threaten the survival of many small local independent pet shops. The chain's new location would be within two blocks of two independent locally owned pet stores, and Pet Food Express is also openly engaged in predatory pricing. The conditional use permit goes before the Planning Commission this Thursday, in City Hall Room 400, at 4pm). For details see http://marinasos.com/?p=3 To send a message to defend the local shops go to http://marinasos.com/?p=60 thanks Eric B

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[Sustain] New Transit Fare Evasion Study Shows Inspectors Worthless
by Eric Brooks 04 Nov '09

04 Nov '09

Hi all, I just got through watching today's Municipal Transportation Agency commission hearing in which the MTA staff announced the release of its fare evasion study. The study shows the following key results: 1) The fare evasion rate is only 9.5% (costing the system about $22 million at most). 2) Even when MTA fare inspectors and SF Police engaged in highly focused and expensive 'saturation' enforcement actions at specific transit access points, the evasion rate was only lowered to about 4% (a 60% reduction) 3) Fines for fare evasion are now $75 - The previous, much higher fines for second and third offenses have been abandoned due to the difficulty of establishing prior evasions when writing a ticket. 4) People cited with fines only pay them 60% of the time. (A police chief describing the saturation actions, and MTA chief Nathaniel Ford, both admitted openly that these saturation actions do not pay for themselves in fine and fare revenues.) 5) The transit lines that experience the highest rates of fare evasion, also have some of the highest rates of low income and people of color ridership. MTA staff recommended enforcement at targeted locations to make enforcement more efficient. (This would absolutely result in biased racist and classist enforcement.) 6) 50% of riders boarding at back do not have proof of purchase. (Anyone who has ridden the bus frequently, knows that many of the people who board at the back without paying are doing so because they are too poor to pay the fare.) What all of these revelations show is that the revenue from punitively deploying fare inspectors and police enforcement will never exceed the actual cost of deploying the inspectors and police in the first place. The only way to achieve better results with this punitive model would be to -reduce- the number of inspectors and then more selectively target lines and transit stops on which the poorest riders and people of color access the system. On the other hand, simply enabling most riders who -can- pay, to much more easily buy fast passes and multi-month passes would likely bring in just as much revenue if not more, without paying any fare inspectors at all. And of course, -free- Muni, paid for with business and car taxes would solve the problem entirely. Finally, on an ominous note. MTA staff indicated that they will soon move to the Translink system for Muni passes. Translink is the system in which you carry an electronic card charged with funds for Muni riding (much like a phone card). Once this Translink system is put in place, poor people are going to have a much harder time circumventing the system so that they can ride free... It's been a while since we had a Transpo working group meeting. Let's do one soon to develop a response strategy based on this report. peace Eric B

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