Transportation Emissions and the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan
On September 29, 2020, the Yolo County Board of Supervisors passed Resolution No. 20-114, titled "A Resolution Declaring a Climate Crisis Requiring Urgent and Inclusive Mobilization in Yolo County." This resolution set forth the ambitious goal of achieving a countywide carbon-negative (climate-positive) footprint by 2030. In January 2023, the County began work on a new Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) designed to outline the steps needed to reduce all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across all sectors in Yolo County in order to achieve the County's ambitious climate goals.
While the County is in the process of updating its GHG emissions inventory (expected to be completed by the time of the April 9th, 2024 Board of Supervisors Meeting), historically, the transportation sector has accounted for more than half of unincorporated County emissions. This is expected to hold true for our upcoming GHG inventory (being completed using 2022 data). The County's past GHG inventory (completed in 2018), outlines the following emissions breakdown by sector:
| Sector |
Percent of Total Emissions (%) |
| Transportation |
63.2 |
|
On-Road Transportation
|
53
|
|
Off-Road Transportation
|
10.2
|
| Agriculture |
21.5 |
| Energy Consumption |
10.8 |
| Solid Waste |
4.5 |
| Wastewater Treatment |
0.004 |
Strategies to Reduce Transportation Emissions
Given the large proportion of emissions stemming from the transportation sector, the forthcoming 2030 Climate Action and Adaptation Plan places a large emphasis on transportation-related efforts, outlining two (2) strategies, six (6) measures, and more than 25 individual actions the County and our partners must take in order to achieve net-negative emissions. These actions, which include a mix of public-facing infrastructure improvements and public education/incentive programs, will require a significant investment from the County, both in terms of staff time and funding. Transportation-related strategies and measures (and a few key Phase 1 actions) are outlined below:
- Strategy 1: Decarbonize Transportation
- Measure 1.1: Electrify County Fleet
- Replace County light-duty gasoline and diesel-fueled vehicles with EVs.
- Measure 1.2: Install Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure
- Install EV charging stations at non-residential public parking areas within the unincorporated County.
- Develop an incentive program to encourage building owners to install EV supply equipment.
- Measure 1.3: Encourage Transition to Electric Vehicles
- Measure 1.4: Encourage Transition to Other Zero Emissions Vehicle Technologies
- Strategy 2: Reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT)
- Measure 2.1: Reduce Single-Occupancy Vehicle Trips
- Coordinate with Yolo Transportation District and Yolo Commute to develop and implement a farmworker commute reduction program that includes evaluation of best practices to coordinate and/or encourage farmworker shuttles to transport farmworkers to and from the fields and farms where they work.
- Coordinate with the Yolo Transportation District to implement the Yolo Active Transportation Corridors Plan (YATC) and ensure the plan provides feasible and reasonable bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure solutions (including secure bike storage) for the County’s Unincorporated Area.
- Measure 2.2: Encourage Transit-Oriented and Infill Development
Costs to implement programs vary. For example, public-facing (non-fleet) electric vehicle (EV) chargers cost approximately $50-60K each for all-in installation; that cost increases to approximately $70-80K per charger if 80 Amp service is used (the fastest Level 2 chargers available). Rebate and incentive amounts vary, but some neighboring jurisdictions offer per-household EV charging incentives of up to $500 per household to purchase a charger, and up to $500 to offset the cost of charger installation. A dedicated, annual pool of funding for critical CAAP transportation strategy implementation would enable staff to develop ongoing incentive programs, along with a consistent schedule for deploying public-facing charging infrastructure, accelerating our emissions reduction progress, and reducing barriers to EV ownership and charging.
The Division of Integrated Waste Management (DIWM) is in a unique position to assist the Sustainability Division and the Board in securing annual funds to support these climate action transportation goals. The DIWM is a regional hub that serves all of northern California, with haulers transporting garbage and liquid waste to the Yolo County Central Landfill (YCCL) from Shasta, Bakersfield, Merced, Santa Rosa, Oakland, Lodi, Fairfield, etc. Our reach is far beyond Yolo County, which provides many advantages but also contributes significantly to our overall carbon footprint. Due to this direct connection to transportation, and the amount of Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT), which spans over a 300-mile radius for many of our haulers, the DIWM is proposing the concept of exploring an out-of-county transportation fee to mitigate the additional GHG emissions that come through our county because of the waste industry. YCCL's annual average is 5,464 truckloads of municipal solid waste (garbage) and 3,395 truckloads of liquid and septic waste coming from out-of-county. (Attachment A) The DIWM does not believe that exploring a fee would impose a significant burden on the industry to the point we would lose a large part of our Sanitation Enterprise revenue if a permanent fee was introduced. The DIWM and Sustainability Division trusts this would alternatively encourage haulers to look at electrifying their fleets or minimizing their VMT with fewer loads. Should an out-of-county hauler switch to electric trucks we would recommend that the new fee developed have a component whereby the fee would be removed from that hauler. The current estimate is that an out-of-county fee would range from $20-30 per load or roughly $0.75-$1.00 per ton. For example, a standard garbage truck averages 8-10 tons, so those trucks would be charged an additional $8-10 per load and large tanker trucks hauling liquid waste, which can hold up to 20 tons would be charged up to $20 per load extra.
With the above information, the DIWM and Sustainability Division, both representing the Department of Community Services, believe this direct connection to transportation provides an exceptional opportunity that not many jurisdictions have. As directed by the Board, our climate goals must be met by 2030, and understanding that General Fund is limited in its ability to fully fund all transportation goals, this innovative approach will allow Yolo County to further its commitment to the environment through a direct connection to the source of pollutants. If the Board approves the out-of-county fee in concept today, the next steps are for the DIWM to start the community engagement process by contacting all hauler to get their feedback and address their concerns. The DIWM will compile that information, finalize the proposed fee structure, and come back to the Board in June with Master Fees for final consideration and adoption.
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