For the 3rd time, here is what you need to know about Oakland's Energy and Climate Action Plan

Credits: Image of ECAP Rally on March 30th, 2010 from Oakland Energy and Climate Action Plan photostream on Flickr.

During our first project, I have reached out to Colin Miller (CM), the new Coordinator of Oakland Climate Action Coalition at Ella Baker Center with some questions. And on the presentation day, I received a phone called followed by a nice email from Colin, who graciously answered all my questions. Unfortunately, we couldn't include his answers in our presentation. So I wish to share them with you here.

Question 1. You've mentioned that ECAP is the boldest and most equitable Energy and Climate Action Plan of any city in the country. Why do you think that is? What kind of action items are included that other cities' plans didn't include? What do you think sets Oakland's plan apart from other cities' plans?

CM: Language throughout Oakland's ECAP indicates the importance of addressing the existing and projected future disproportionate impacts of climate change on vulnerable and "disadvantaged" populations. The Oakland Climate Action Coalition (OCAC) is the only community-based coalition in the country that we know of focused exclusively on advancing climate justice & equity through a municipal Energy and Climate Action Plan. 2 years of organizing and targeted advocacy at Oakland's City Council, Planning Commission, Public Works Agency & Environmental Services department have made tremendous measurable gains in terms of the draft ECAPs that we have seen come out between 2009, when our Coalition was formed, and March of 2011, when the draft ECAP was passed.

Question 2. I understand that in Oakland, there is a huge Ecological Justice movement going on. Do you believe that ECAP reflects the movement's main goals?

CM: The Oakland Climate Action Coalition is the best example of bringing many diverse sectors including housing, food, transportation and energy together under the umbrella Ecological Justice. The OCAC gave these diverse sectors and organizations a platform to unite as one and achieve a common goal.

More than 50 of the total 150 policies came directly from the Oakland Climate Action Coalition. While the ECAP's primary objective is to reduce GHG's by 36% below 2005 levels (or 25% reduction from 1990 levels) by 2020, there are many corollary co-benefits, including advances in the areas listed above. The ECAP is a blueprint for the vital first steps towards ecological justice in Oakland.


Question 3. What kind of involvement did community members have? I understand that you organized meetings and workshops to get community members excited and involved. Do you think community members' input was valued and included in the plan?

CM: The Oakland Climate Action Coalition hosted 13 events in Oakland’s low-income neighborhoods that educated about 1,500 Oakland residents, majority people of color, who contributed to the development of Oakland’s ECAP. These events included workshops for high school students, labor union members and community leaders in multiple languages including Chinese and Spanish. In addition to these workshops, we hosted large-scale community events at Laney community college, rallies at City Hall and an Oakland Mayoral Forum.

In comparison, the City hosted four ECAP workshops (see http://www2.oaklandnet.com/Government/o/PWA/s/SO/OAK025294), two 1st-round and two 2nd-round workshops. The OCAC was the predominant civic group represented at the workshops, which were not widely publicized. Our input was included in the plan and the vast majority of our recommendations were adopted into final policy. There were several key areas adopted as OCAC priorities based on community input that were passed in the final version of the plan:

a. Strengthening the diversity and stability of our neighborhoods by preventing displacement through tenant protections and preserving affordable housing.

b. Petitioning the California Public Utilities Commission for local administration and control of $3-$9 million per year of energy efficiency funds from PG&E to create and maintain at least 30 local green-collar jobs.

c. Building community resilience by growing food on idle, underutilized or vacant lots.

The Plan will be revised every 3 years - during which time, the OCAC plans to advance our objectives, including those listed above.


Question 4. I've heard that historically Oakland's political characteristics have been described as being very top-down. Has there been some shift in this character? With the new mayor being a minority herself, do you believe more inclusive policies and processes are on the way?
Is there any indicator in ECAP or the process of drafting ECAP of such shift?

CM: The ECAP drafting process was fairly inclusive in that the Coalition had an open line of communication with the Public Works Agency writing the plan through Sustainability Coordinator Garrett Fitzgerald. Mayor Quan has committed to partnering with the OCAC to implement the ECAP. Given her history and legacy as a grassroots organizer in Oakland, we hope that more inclusive policies / processes are on the way.


Question 5. I saw on your article date March, 2011 that Oakland "passed" ECAP. What is the reason it is still called a "Draft" ECAP? What other procedural steps are left of it to shed the word "draft"? When will it start being implemented?

CM: Oakland's City Council approved and passed the content of Oakland's ECAP on March 1, 2011. It is still called a "Draft" because it remains to be cleared through CEQA, the California Environmental Quality Act, process, and receive either a "negative declaration" of significant environmental impact, or produce a document listing all feasible measures to mitigate those impacts. City staff are hopeful the plan will receive a negative declaration so the full plan can be approved by Council. The content itself will not need to be voted on again.

There are actions in the ECAP that have already begun to be implemented. See the "status" portion of the first section of the ECAP under, "3 year priority actions (funded)". Many actions in the ECAP do not require CEQA passage, and are thus already being carried out. The timeline for CEQA process clearing is unclear - optimistically 6 months, more realistically up to a year or more.


Question 6. Also, what kind of power/influence does ECAP have? Is it simply a guideline for current and future policies?
I understand that it's not a law or code that can be enforced. What sort of bearing does it have? How would the action items be implemented?

CM: The ECAP is a kind of blueprint for climate action in Oakland. While the specific actions are not currently mandatory or enforceable by law, AB 32 - the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, requires the state as a whole to reduce GHG's by 25% from 1990 levels by 2020 - roughly equivalent to the Oakland ECAP GHG target. In terms of AB 32 enforcement, Oakland's ECAP then falls into the category of "voluntary early actions", which starting on Jan 1 of 2012, will become enforceable by law.

Each individual Priority Action in the ECAP must be approved by City Council and/or the Planning Commission, and then implemented by the appropriate listed responsible city department / agency. Other actions in the ECAP list "the community" and a "social movement" as the entities responsible for implementation. Exact roles / responsibilities in these cases then becomes less clear.

Once this crazy schedule at [IN]City becomes a bit more manageable, I plan to get involved in climate justice movement in Oakland. And those of you who plan to stay in the Bay Area after the program, you can also get in touch with Colin to see what you can do. Ella Baker Center's website has his contact info.

Lastly, I'd like to thank Colin for taking time to answer all my questions. And here is a video clip of a speech by Emily Kirsch (Colin's predecessor) at the ECAP Rally in 2010.