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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 4.2 - Declaring Dublin an Idle-Free City (2)STAFF REPORT CITY COUNCIL Page 1 of 4 Agenda Item 4.2 DATE:March 2, 2021 TO:Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers FROM:Linda Smith, City Manager SUBJECT:Resolution Declaring Dublin an Idle-Free City Prepared By: Chloe Trifilio, CivicSpark Fellow Environmental Services Division and Shannan Young, Environmental and Sustainability Manager EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The City Council will consider declaring the City of Dublin an Idle-Free City. Substantial evidence indicates the negative impacts of vehicle idling on human health and the environment. Establishing the City of Dublin as an Idle-Free City will minimize avoidable air pollution and supports a high quality of life for Dublin residents and visitors. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Adopt the Resolution Declaring the City of Dublin an Idle-Free City. FINANCIAL IMPACT: There would be no impact to the General Fund. Outreach associated with the Idle-Free City campaign would be executed by existing Staff and with materials provided by the Tri-Valley Spare the Air Resource Team. DESCRIPTION: On November 4, 2003, the City Council adopted the Clean Air Consortium Checklist and executed a voluntary agreement to comply with the Checklist requirements through Resolution 220-03. The Checklist outlines strategies to reduce the negative impact of municipal maintenance and operations on air quality during summer Spare the Air Days. One strategy included on the Checklist is to avoid idling. Idling, or leaving a vehicle’s engine running when it is parked or not in use, is unnecessary and has economic, environmental, and health repercussions. Common instances of idling occur when people are waiting to pick up another person or takeout food, sitting at drive-through restaurants, and while using a phone before or after driving. When cars and trucks idle, they emit ground-level ozone, or “smog”, made of organic compounds and oxides of nitrogen that react with sunlight. 16 Page 2 of 4 Usually, steady winds and cool temperatures help keep ozone from building up to unhealthy concentrations, but the long, hot days of summer months provide a higher chance for ozone to accumulate. Due to air quality issues as exemplified by the regular, recurring high ozone days, the Tri-Valley Region is included in the Community Air Protection Program established by the California Air Resources Board as part of Assembly Bill (AB) 617. The intent of AB 617 and the Community Air Protection Program is to reduce air pollution exposure in communities most impacted by air pollution. In addition to high ozone levels, wildfire events in the greater Bay Area have become more frequent and more intense; therefore, concern for air quality is increasing. According to the Spare the Air website, 46 Spare the Air Alerts were called in the year 2020. Spare the Air Alerts are issued when ozone concentrations or levels of particulate matter exceed the national health-based air quality standard. Emitted by wildfires and vehicle exhaust, particulate matter is liquid or solid particles that are so fine they can be inhaled into the lungs and enter the bloodstream. Prior to 2020, the highest number of recorded Spare the Air Days in a year was 33 days in the year 2013. High ozone and particulate matter levels have the potential to cause harm to humans, especially to vulnerable populations. When particulate matter or ozone is inhaled it can: Aggravate asthma; Decrease lung function; Cause lung tissue inflammation and irritation; Cause coughing or difficulty breathing; and Exacerbate cardiovascular problems and lung diseases. Poor air quality is most impactful to those with respiratory diseases and for children because their lungs are still developing. Other vulnerable populations include pregnant women, elderly people, and people with compromised immune systems. Idling vehicles also emit greenhouse gases (GHGs) such as hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide. GHGs are the primary contributor to climate change. The City of Dublin recently reaffirmed its commitment to combating climate change by adopting its Climate Action Plan 2030 and Beyond (CAP 2030). CAP 2030 establishes 22 measures to achieve GHG emissions reductions equal to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 and to put the City on the path to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. To achieve these goals, CAP 2030 calls on Dublin municipal operations and citizens to make behavior changes such as developing idle-free habits. As described in CAP 2030, 60 percent of Dublin’s GHG emissions come from the transportation sector. Potential for Outreach Establishing Dublin as an Idle-Free City would provide Dublin citizens an opportunity to act at a local level to directly benefit the health of the community while also helping to reduce GHG emissions. Staff would engage the community through the social media channels it maintains and at tabling events when it is safe to resume in-person activities. Creating educational materials 17 Page 3 of 4 would require minimal time because the Spare the Air Resource Team has anti-idling resources already available such as videos, fact sheets, banners and more. Staff would partner with Dublin Unified School District and other community groups to target idle-free hotspots such as schools and drive-throughs. The City of Dublin also participates in the Tri-Valley Spare the Air Resource Team, which is funded by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD). The Tri-Valley Spare the Air Resource Team created an educational campaign to discourage idling called “Idle Free Tri-Valley.” This campaign provides information, resources and toolkits that can be used to promote idle-free messaging, which can be accessed on the website IdleFreeTriValley.org. Exceptions and Enforcement Municipal staff and contractors, residents, visitors, and businesses should join the effort to become idle-free, but the following exceptions may apply: If it is necessary for an emergency vehicle to idle during an emergency situation; If it is necessary to idle a vehicle to prevent a safety or health emergency for human or animal occupants, or to prevent the aggravation of a passenger’s disability or health condition, but not merely to maintain the comfort of vehicle occupants; If the vehicle is forced to remain motionless on a public road due to traffic conditions; If vehicle idling is necessary for auxiliary power for law enforcement equipment, refrigeration units, loading/unloading lifts, well drilling, and/or farming; and If vehicle idling is necessary for repair or inspection of a vehicles. Active enforcement of the idle-free initiative for the community at large is not recommended at this time. Voluntary compliance will be promoted to the community. Municipal fleet and contract employees are expected to adhere to the guidance to refrain from vehicle idling for durations of 30 seconds or longer. In summary, decreasing toxic emissions from idling vehicles will increase air quality and benefit the health of the people of Dublin, as well as the environment. It is in the public interest that the Dublin community reduce vehicle emissions and declare that Dublin become an Idle-Free City. STRATEGIC PLAN INITIATIVE: None. NOTICING REQUIREMENTS/PUBLIC OUTREACH: The City Council Agenda was posted. ATTACHMENTS: 1) Resolution Declaring the City of Dublin an Idle-Free City 18 Page 4 of 4 2) Resolution 220-03 Approving Adoption of the Clean Air Consortium Checklist and Execution of the Voluntary Agreement as Requested by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District 3) Tri-Valley Spare the Air Resource Team Facts About Idling 19 Attachment 1 Reso. No. XX-20, Item X.X, Adopted XX/XX/20 Page 1 of 2 RESOLUTION NO. XX – 21 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF DUBLIN DECLARING THE CITY OF DUBLIN AN IDLE-FREE CITY WHEREAS,idling vehicles emit pollutants such as greenhouse gases (GHGs), hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, particulate matter, and other toxic air contaminants that are harmful to both the environment and to human health; and WHEREAS,the City of Dublin has committed to reducing GHG emissions with the adoption of its Climate Action Plan 2030 and Beyond, which includes goals to reduce GHG emissions to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 and to reach carbon neutrality by 2045; and WHEREAS,the emissions produced by idling vehicles can cause health issues such as increased rates of heart and lung diseases and can aggravate lung illnesses such as acute respiratory infections, asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and lung cancer; and WHEREAS,it is vital to protect public health and safeguard the well-being of vulnerable populations such as children, elderly people, pregnant women, people with respiratory diseases, and people with compromised immune systems who are disproportionately affected by poor air quality; and WHEREAS,idling a typical vehicle for longer than 10 seconds consumes more fuel than restarting the vehicle, resulting in preventable GHG and toxic air emissions and wasted fuel; and WHEREAS,education about reducing idling can raise awareness and encourage the Dublin community to develop idle free habits; and WHEREAS,the City of Dublin aims to support a high quality of life and a safe and secure environment; and WHEREAS,the Dublin community can improve air quality by turning off vehicles whenever idling would occur for 30 seconds or longer. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Dublin hereby declares Dublin to be an Idle-Free City and encourages residents, visitors, employees and other individuals within City limits not to exceed 30 seconds of idling time in their vehicles. PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED this 2nd day of March 2021, by the following vote: AYES: NOES: ABSENT: ABSTAIN: 20 Attachment 1 Reso. No. XX-20, Item X.X, Adopted XX/XX/20 Page 2 of 2 ______________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _________________________________ City Clerk 21 Attachment 2 22 23 24 Facts About Idling Health Car exhaust releases particulate matter (PM) into the air, and inhaling PM can: o Aggravate asthma o Decrease lung function o Cause coughing or difficulty breathing o Exacerbate cardiovascular problems1 Children are especially vulnerable to air pollution because their developing lungs, incomplete metabolic systems, immature host defenses, and high rates of infection by respiratory pathogens can lead to higher doses of pollutants reaching the lungs.2 Saving Fuel and Money For every two minutes a car is idling, it uses about the same amount of fuel it takes to go about one mile. 3 Ten seconds of idling can use more fuel than turning off the engine and restarting it. 4 Emissions In the Bay Area, on-road motor vehicles account for 35% of Ozone-forming pollutants in the summer and 12% of fine particulate pollution in the winter.5 Transportation accounts for 39% of Bay Area greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.6 Transportation accounts for 53% of Napa County GHG emissions.7 Vehicle Myths 8 The engine should be warmed up before driving. Reality: Idling is not an effective way to warm up your vehicle, even in cold weather. The best way to do this is to drive. Idling is good for your engine. Reality: Excessive idling can actually damage your engine components. Shutting off and restarting your vehicle is hard on the engine. Reality: Frequent restarting has negligible impact on engine components. 1 Environmental Protection Agency: “Health and Environmental Effects of Particulate Matter (PM)” https://www.epa.gov/pm- pollution/health-and-environmental-effects-particulate-matter-pm 2 World Health Organization: The Effects of Air Pollution on Children's Health and Development: A Review of the Evidence, p.3 http://www.euro.who.int/ data/assets/pdf file/0010/74728/E86575.pdf 3 US Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy http://www.anl.gov/sites/anl.gov/files/Idling- PersonalVehicles050715.pdf 4 Ibid. 5 Bay Area Air Quality Management District Annual Report 2015, p.3 http://www.baaqmd.gov/~/media/files/communications-and- outreach/publications/annual-report/baaqmd_15ar_31920_pdf-pdf.pdf?la=en 6 Ibid. 7 Draft Napa Countywide CAP Framework http://www.countyofnapa.org/CAP/ 8 US Department of Energy http://www.anl.gov/sites/anl.gov/files/Idling-PersonalVehicles050715.pdf Attachment 3 25