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LA City Council approves 2 motions to reduce city government’s emissions
Los Angeles Aug 26, 2021
|Photo courtesy of chrisinphilly5448, Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
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The Los Angeles City Council Wednesday approved two motions aimed at reducing the city government’s carbon footprint.
The first motion directed the General Services Department to develop a plan to retrofit city-owned buildings to achieve net-zero energy.
The second motion instructed city departments to act on a provision of the city’s Green New Deal to require that all city-owned vehicles be zero-emission and to explore the installation of charging infrastructure for the fleet. The Los Angeles fire and police departments were instructed to report within 60 days on their short-, medium- and long-term plans to transition their fleets to zero-emission vehicles, and the Los Angeles Department of Transportation was instructed to report within 60 days on its progress toward meeting bus-electrification targets.
Los Angeles World Airports, Port of Los Angeles and Department of Water and Power were instructed to report within 60 days on how they will codify and implement the Zero-Emission First fleet procurement rule.
“Our state is burning due to the impacts of climate change and we are now also confronting an `exceptional’ drought — the most extreme rating for drought conditions. There has never been more urgency to enact solutions,” said Councilwoman Nithya Raman, who introduced the motions.
“By tackling the city’s assets first, we will show our neighboring cities, the state and the public that we are committed to being leaders in the transition to a clean, sustainable economy and society.”
The motions passed 11-0. They were seconded by Councilman Paul Krekorian, who said: “As the recent (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) `code red’ report makes clear, cities must immediately reduce energy consumption to avoid the more catastrophic effects of climate change. As a major urban center, Los Angeles is obligated to lead by example, including making city buildings more energy efficient and healthier while at the same time saving money on utility costs.”
