Russ Steele
I was reading The Union's story on the new City Manager, who was recently hired by the City Council of Nevada City, when I was intriged by this item in the story about David Brennan who will become the City Manger when Gene Albaugh, retires effective June 20, 2011.
Brennan most recently served as program manager for the Sonoma County Regional Climate Protection Authority.
What is the SCRCPA? What was their mission and what projects did Dave Brennan work on. As you all know, I think that attributing global warming to human increases in CO2 is a bloody hoax on the American people. Yes, the planet is warming and has been since the last mini ice age, but the small increase in human generated CO2 is not a factor. So, what is Sonoma County Regional Climate Protection Authority and what would a program manager do?
Here is what the Institute for Local Government had to say about the Regional Climate Protection Agency:
Sonoma County’s nine cities and multiple county agencies have been engaged in local climate protection efforts for more than ten years. In 2002, Sonoma became the first county to have all its jurisdictions conduct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventories. In 2005, all ten local jurisdictions adopted a joint target of reducing GHG emissions to 25% below 1990 levels by 2015. In 2009 Sonoma took another pioneering step by establishing the Regional Climate Protection Authority (RCPA). The RCPA is a special district created by state legislation designed to improve local coordination on climate change issues and establish a clearinghouse for efforts to reduce countywide GHG emissions.
- The RCPA includes a council member from each of the nine cities in Sonoma County and three members of the County Board of Supervisors.
- The RCPA does not establish a new bureaucracy; it is directed by the board of the Sonoma County Transportation Authority.
- The goals and objectives of the RCPA are actions that need to be taken throughout the county and require regional cooperation to implement.
The only Program Manager listed on the SCRCPA web site is: Climate Protection Program Manager. I am assuming that David was responsible for this Mission:
RCPA coordinates countywide efforts to implement and advocate a broad range of programs and projects to reduce GHG emissions.
And these Goals:
- Reduce GHG emission levels by 25% below 1990 levels by 2015
- Reduce GHG emission levels by 40% below 1990 levels by 2035
- Employ a tracking system to effectively capture GHG emission data and assess progress in reduction efforts.
David should fit-in quite well with "progressive" Nevada City, and all the other warmers on the City Council.
Exit Question: Will we see a Nevada City initiative to create a Nevada County Regional Climate Protection Authority, under the authority of the Nevada County Transportation Commission? Why?
