The San Mateo County Energy Strategy is an effective approach to guarantee sufficient utility infrastructure, preserve natural resources and achieve greenhouse gas emission reduction goals. Energy and water consumption are directly tied to greenhouse gas emissions so the strategy focuses on using less water and less and cleaner energy.

State legislation such as AB32 will impact city and county governments. AB32 calls for a return to 1990 greenhouse gas levels by the year 2020, which represents a 25% drop from today's emission rates. Long-term, the law calls for emissions to be reduced to 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. San Mateo's Energy Strategy was created, in part, to assist San Mateo County in reaching and surpassing the goals of AB32. The San Mateo Energy Strategy acknowledges that the simplest, fastest and most cost-effective way to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions is to use less energy overall and to use cleaner forms of energy.

Some of the important goals of the strategy include:

• Reducing the amount of power San Mateo County purchases from utilities to 25 percent below 2005 levels through conservation, efficiency and increased local production of clean energy.
• Supporting the clean technology sector to strengthen the long-term economic health of San Mateo County.
• Partnering with public utilities and working across city boundaries to address environmental challenges more effectively and efficiently.
• Encouraging environmental leadership in government, business and community to achieve the goals of the Energy Strategy.

Some of the desired outcomes of the strategy include:

• Consistent and affordable energy for future generations of San Mateo County residents.
• Minimal environmental impact from energy production.
• Ongoing education on existing and future energy efficiency programs and the link between water and energy use.
• Leadership in providing solutions for energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction throughout the County.

Take Action:

• Develop your city's plan to reach these energy reduction goals; this may include the creation of an Energy Element, updating General and Strategic Plans, and a climate action plan. For information contact The City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo, go to www.ccag.ca.gov.
• Establish ongoing communication with The Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency (BAWSCA) and promote dissemination of information related to legislation and other efforts to encourage conservation in the lower Tuolumne River Basin. Go to www.bawsca.org.

View the Energy Strategy in full

Citations:
12/11/08 Draft of the San Mateo County Energy Policy prepared by the Utilities and Sustainability Task Force, part of the City/County Association of Governments: http://www.ccag.ca.gov/ustf_task_force_reports.html

Pictures:
http://www.fostercity.org/community_info/photos/uploaded_photos/

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