Council Adopts New Environmental Guidelines

The City Council/Redevelopment Agency adopted resolutions this week that will allow for implementation of the updated 2011 local guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

CEQA requires that all public agencies evaluate the environmental impact of their businesses, including any future projects such as expansions or additions on their properties. It also requires that these agencies adopt specific objectives, criteria and procedures for evaluating the environmental impacts of their projects.

As noted in a staff report--presented by Jim Kasama, Community Development Administrator, and Jason Kruckenberg, Assistant City Manager/Development Services Director--one of the biggest changes to CEQA is section 5.18, which sets the procedure for analyzing climate change and greenhouse gas emissions. This section says that a lead agency will use a particular model and methodology to determine the amount of greenhouse gas emissions resulting from an agency project.

The analysis would take into consideration air quality, energy use, solid waste disposal and vehicle emissions, among other factors. Greenhouse gas emissions have been cited as one of the main contributors to global warming.

Council Member Peter Amundson has his concerns about the impact such requirements will have on local businesses in Arcadia. “I am concern with the effect on jobs here in the city and the state,” he said. Amundson noted a business in the area that was very “resilient” in making his company more “green” and, as a result of cost, went bankrupt. “I don’t want to see that happen to any of our businesses in Arcadia,” Amundson said.

Kruckenberg sees a bigger impact on larger industrial agencies rather than small retail businesses.

The same resolution had to be adopted by both the City Council and Redevelopment Agency, which are one in the same. You can view the CEQA’s updated guidelines here.