Newsletter #6, January 2008

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. January tour in Minnesota, April in Europe
2. PCC's Daniel Lerch to host session at APA conference
3. Bloomington (IN) and Berkeley (CA) form task forces
4. Oakland (CA) task force wraps up meetings
5. News and resources
6. What can PCC do for you?

1. January tour in Minnesota, April in Europe

This week, Post Carbon Cities' Daniel Lerch and John Kaufmann (Senior Policy Analyst at the Oregon Department of Energy and also lead staff for the groundbreaking Portland Peak Oil Task Force) are traveling to the cold "North Coast" for a whirlwind tour of Minnesota. They'll speak at a legislative hearing in St. Paul, run a workshop for local government figures in West St. Paul, and give public presentations in Duluth, Rochester, and Minneapolis -- all over the course of two days! The legislative hearing is a joint meeting of Minnesota's House Energy Finance & Policy Division and the Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Committee.

For more information on these presentations, see the Minnesota Sustainable Communities Network.

In April, Daniel will be speaking at Sustainable Ireland's 13th annual Convergence Sustainable Living Festival. He may then visit other locations and groups in the UK - the details are still being arranged. Contact Daniel if you are in the UK and would like to host a presentation while he's (relatively) nearby.

2. PCC's Daniel Lerch to host session at APA conference

Then, at the end of April, Daniel will be hosting a session on Responding to Peak Oil and Energy Uncertainty at this year's American Planning Association conference. Speakers include John Kaufmann, Senior Policy Analyst at the Oregon Department of Energy and lead staff for the Portland Peak Oil Task Force, and Jennifer Brost of the Southern California Association of Governments, who co-organized the Southern California Energy Conference in 2006.

The session is part of the conference's Energy Planning track, a track that did not exist at last year's conference. That there are twice as many sessions dealing with energy this year is a promising sign that planners are starting to pay closer attention to the sustainability of communities' energy needs.

3. Bloomington (IN) and Berkeley (CA) form task forces

Work in different parts of the country is coming to fruition. In Bloomington, Indiana, in December, the City Council approved a resolution to create a peak oil task force. Councilman Dave Rollo says "The plan is to have a report and recommendations together by summer - and then begin to move on implementation." He has retired as city council president in order to devote more time to the task force, and says "I can think of no higher priority for the community at the present time." Other task force members will be appointed soon.

Also in December, the Berkeley city council passed a resolution recognizing the issue of Peak Oil and the work of local group Oil Independent Berkeley. The resolution also created a task force; Oil Independent Berkeley member Erica Etelson reports:

"Our task force is kicking off with a screening of End of Suburbia for local officials on February 1^st. Our first meeting is January 30^th. Our task force includes Jennifer Radtke, founder of the Berkeley Bio-Fuel Oasis, UC Berkeley agro-ecology professor Miguel Altieri, and others, including a bicycle and community garden activist and a couple of permaculture activists. One of the first things we'll be doing is commenting, from a peak oil perspective, on Berkeley's Climate Action Plan, which is in the process of being finalized. We know there will be many good recommendations in this plan and we're excited to lend our support and help the City prioritize the most urgently-needed measures.

4. Oakland (CA) task force wraps up meetings

Oakland, California hit another landmark in their process in December: the 21st marked the last meeting of the Oil Independent Oakland task force. The next step is to edit and prepare their Task Force Action Plan for presentation to the Public Works Committee on February 26. Now that the task force is done, it is up to the council to take the next steps.

Their agenda from the last meeting and a (pre-meeting) draft of the action plan can be found online; it's an interesting look within the process of action plan creation.

5. News and resources

Each business day, staff at Post Carbon Cities are looking through the news for articles for the latest on how energy and climate concerns are affecting cities, and what city leaders are doing in response. We also collect relevant resolutions and reports: browse through them in our Resources Section. Here are a few choice items from this month:

	Alaska towns developing climate change adaptation plan Published 13 Jan 2008 by the Peninsula Clarion Kenai Peninsula Borough (AK) climate change resolution Adopted 8 Jan 2008 by Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly Many municipalities are passing climate change resolutions that call for greenhouse gas reductions. This resolution may be the first to also call for impact mitigation and adaptation.
	Portland takes on peak oil: from understanding to a resolution Published 6 Jan 2008 by HopeDance Magazine Portland's Peak Oil Task Force was groundbreaking, and its report is an example to other cities. But what has the city done to follow up on the report? Melanie D’Arcy reports on Portland's progress.
	The peak oil crisis: diesel Published 3 Jan 2008 by The Falls Church News-Press Prominent peak oil writer Tom Whipple writes about how shortages of diesel may be more imminent - and more crippling - than shortages of gasoline.

6. What can PCC do for you?

"When we are approached by cities interested in taking the next step to address climate and energy challenges, we encourage them to take advantage of the resources that Post Carbon Cities has to offer. The Post Carbon Cities Program fills a unique niche in that it focuses on both peak oil and climate change issues, and offers practical direction for those communities that want to take action."
--Paul Moss, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Sustainable Communities Team

Our mission is to help local governments understand the challenges posed by energy and climate uncertainty, and provide resources for elected officials, planners, managers and others to develop plans and responses appropriate to their communities. Are we doing our job? How can we help you develop your community's plans? Would you like to see us offer events, trainings or online tools? Tell us how we can help you!

Contact Laurel or Daniel with your suggestions.

Minnesota snow photo by ɹɐǝʇuǝʌ1ǝ
Berkeley rainbow photo by y-cart
Both photos