Sustainability Program

SCAG is working with partners throughout the region to identify strategies to reduce climate pollution through the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) program administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA). In 2023, the U.S. EPA awarded planning grants to select metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) and states across the county, including three MSAs in the SCAG region:

• Los Angeles and Orange counties    
• San Bernardino and Riverside counties    
• Ventura County   

Using these grants, MSAs and states developed Priority Climate Action Plans (PCAPs) and submitted them to the U.S. EPA on March 1. The PCAPs identify priority measures and strategies to reduce climate and air pollution and support additional objectives such as benefiting low-income and disadvantaged communities, reducing energy costs, and supporting economic development.

Local, regional, and state agencies, and federally recognized tribes were also eligible to apply for grants to implement projects that align with the measures and strategies in state or MSA PCAPs from a total competitive pot of over $4 billion. A nearly $500 million application, headed by the South Coast Air Quality Management District in collaboration with SCAG and other regional agencies, was among the grant recipients. This implementation grant, the largest ever made by the U.S. EPA, will be invested in zero-emission goods movement technologies in the region.

The final major CPRG milestone is the Comprehensive Climate Action Plan. These plans, due in 2025, will build on the PCAPs and include measures and strategies to comprehensively reduce climate pollution from all economic sectors over the near-, medium-, and long-term.   

Completed Priority Climate Action Plans:

• Los Angeles and Orange counties PCAP  
• San Bernardino and Riverside counties PCAP  
• Ventura County PCAP  
• California PCAP  

Resources

• Grant Program Guidance 
• Notice of Funding Opportunities 

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The Southern California Clean Cities Coalition is a U.S. Department of Energy (U.S. DOE) designated coalition in the Clean Cities and Communities partnership. The mission of the U.S. DOE’s Clean Cities and Communities partnership is to advance the nation’s economic, environmental, and energy security by supporting local decisions to adopt practices that reduce petroleum consumption. 

The Southern California Clean Cities Coalition coordinates activities of both private and public sector proponents of alternative fuel vehicles by providing a forum to discover commonalties, collaborate on public policy, investigate opportunities for joint projects, leverage scarce resources, and cooperate on promoting the benefits of alternative fuel vehicles throughout the region. 

The Southern California Clean Cities Coalition was first designated by the U.S. DOE on March 1, 1996. In 2010, SCAG resumed direct administrative responsibility for the Southern California Clean Cities Program.   

The Southern California Clean Cities Coalition prepares several quarterly and annual reports related to alternative fuels and vehicles pursuant to their cooperative agreement with the U.S. DOE, referred to as the Statement of Project Objectives. The annual progress report acts as an important indicator of the coalition’s impact and includes voluntary data from stakeholders about the volume of alternative fuels used, the number of alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs), including electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid EVs, idle reduction initiatives, fuel economy improvements and programs to reduce vehicle miles traveled. The annual vehicle and station cost tracking and reporting collects cost information for AFVs and stations within the SCAG region, while the annual alternative fueling station report assists the U.S. DOE with updating the alternative fueling station database. 

Alternative Fuels & Vehicles 

SCAG has a history of successful initiatives, collaborations, and achievements related to alternative fuels and vehicles. The promotion of alternative fuel vehicles and their necessary infrastructure is a critical strategy for reducing greenhouse gases in the SCAG region, a key focus outlined in the Connect SoCal 2024 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy. Furthermore, on April 6, 2023, SCAG’s Regional Council passed Resolution No. 23-654-5, which established SCAG’s Clean Transportation Technology Policy. This policy creates a structured approach for SCAG to foster the growth, commercialization, and implementation of a transportation system that is either zero or near zero emission.

The Global Warming Solutions Act

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SCAG is addressing the climate change challenge through implementation of recent State legislation. In 2006, Assembly Bill No. 32 (AB 32), the California Global Warming Solutions Act, passed into law requiring that statewide GHG emissions be reduced to 1990 levels by 2020. This would represent reducing about 30 percent from business-as-usual emission levels projected for 2020. On December 11, 2008, the California Air Resources Board (ARB) adopted a comprehensive Scoping Plan outlining the state’s strategy to achieve the 2020 GHG emission reduction target.

Sustainable Communities & The Climate Protection Act of 2008

Senate Bill No. 375 (SB 375), effective January 2009, also intends to implement a portion of AB 32 to reduce the GHG emissions from the use of autos and light trucks through land use and VMT Reduction policies. In addition, as a long-term statewide goal, Governor’s Executive Order (S-3-05) requires that by 2050 California reduce GHG emissions to 80 percent below the 1990 level.

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Open Space & The Quality of Life

The concept of sustainability includes “Improving the quality of human life while living within the carrying capacity of supporting ecosystems.[1]” As our region grows and urbanizes, we are modifying the natural world and diminishing the availability of resources for future generations. While we continue to improve our quality of life, we must also create a sustainable framework for the future. Conserving open space creates sustainable communities by preserving and increasing ecosystem productivity, improving wildlife habitats, and making greenspace more easily accessible.

SCAG has begun a strategic planning process to determine critical components and implementation steps for open space resources in our region. The program will build on existing work currently being done at the local level and be based on recent, scientific data and methodologies. This work will guide the development of policies and actions for consideration in future plans, such as a recommendation for a regional mitigation policy for the 2016 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy (RTP/SCS). With every adoption of the RTP, SCAG is helping to create transportation infrastructure that improves mobility, accessibility, safety and connectivity. At the same time, infrastructure planning must consider and incorporate actions that will protect the environment and make efficient use of our natural resources.

From IUCN, UNEP, WWF (1991): Caring for the Earth. A Strategy for Sustainable Living. Gland, Switzerland.

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SCAG has long recognized innovative planning and local development projects that best coordinate land use and transportation actions to improve the mobility, livability, prosperity, and sustainability within the region. SCAG provides an outline for innovative planning and local development projects through the Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy (RTP/SCS), a long-range visioning plan that balances future mobility and housing needs with economic, environmental, and public health goals.

In 2011, SCAG addressed the lack of comprehensive data tracking sustainability efforts across the SCAG region through the collection of existing sustainability plans and programs. Three years later, SCAG partnered with CivicSpark, a program of the Local Government Commission and a Governor’s Initiative AmeriCorps Program, hosting the first cohort of CivicSpark Fellows and expanding the Green Region Initiative dataset to cultivate a dynamic knowledge of the major challenges and opportunities relevant to sustainability and quality of life in the region.

The Green Region Initiative (GRI) Sustainability Indicators Map serves as a tool for jurisdictions within the SCAG region to measure and track sustainability progress in the region across 12 categories and 29 sustainability indicators. The map aims to foster collaboration through the sharing of best practices across the 191 cities and six counties in the SCAG region. GRI Version 4.0 is the most recent iteration of the tool, providing an improved user experience through updated map designs, links, and resources. GRI Version 4.0 includes 3 updated maps, one new indicator and one new topic: Electric Vehicle Permitting Streamlining and Urban Greening. Each topic has a new stand-alone map on Senate Bill (SB) 535 Disadvantaged Communities and a Consolidated Map which incorporates all of the Indicator maps and the SB 535 map. The new maps contain detailed descriptions and resources relevant to the individual indicators. Click on the icons below to view the 12 categories exploring sustainability progress across the SCAG region.

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Sustainability & Water

Additional water resources will be needed to meet the growing population and economy of the SCAG region. Sufficient water supplies are needed to meet these future water demands. In addition water quality and watershed management needs to be addressed.

Water supplies in the SCAG region come from a blend of local and imported sources. Water conservation, or efficiency, involves technological and behavioral changes that lower the demand for water.

Past Events

Southern California Stormwater Meeting
Friday, June 13, 2014

In the midst of a historic drought and challenging regulatory orders that Southern California reduce the effects of stormwater pollution from the built environment, leaders agree that now is the time to act. That means designing, approving, and finding ways to pay for the stormwater capture projects we need that will also infiltrate water into our local groundwater basins and increase our water supply reliability in future years. A meeting was held on Friday, June 13, 2014, to discuss and develop practical strategies for overcoming the biggest challenges to stormwater capture. There were three panels that discussed various topics pertaining to stormwater. Watch the videos:

• Regulatory/Permitting Panel (9:30 a.m.)
• Successes & Challenges in Stormwater Capture Panel (10:30 a.m.)
• Funding Strategies Panel (11:15 a.m.)

SCAG’S WATER PLANNING PROGRAM

The Water Planning Program was concerned with the comprehensive management of water resources in the urban watersheds of the SCAG region. These resources include the use and reuse of imported and local water, the discharge of highly-treated wastewater, the conservation of water supplies, the reclamation of water supplies and the management of stormwater and urban runoff. Of special importance in this urban setting is the collaboration of local agencies to jointly plan and implement pollution control measures that protect the environment, are cost-effective and sustainable.

The Program recognizes a connection between water supplies and water quality and between land use, water quality and water supplies:

• As water quality impairments lead to more extensive pollution controls in the region’s watersheds, higher levels of water treatment will result in new, purer water for reuse.
• With the increasing use of more compact land development designs, more extensive natural areas will create new opportunities for pollutant removal from storm flows and also encourage the conservation of stormwater by providing areas for infiltration.

The Program developed a series of reports for the Caltrans Environmental Analysis Section that relate stormwater management issues to the planning and implementation of the proposed major projects in the 2004 Regional Transportation Plan.

In addition, SCAG’s Regional Comprehensive Plan (RCP) was updated in 2008. The Water Chapter of the RCP focused on themes such as meeting the region’s water supply needs, the relationship between land uses and water quality, the important relationship between regional water reliability and water storage facilities, the continuing need for more water conservation, and the connection between agency collaboration, best management practices and cost-effective pollution control measures.

2008 SCAG Regional Comprehensive Plan Water Chapter​ 

GROUNDWATER

Groundwater accounts for most of the region’s local supply of fresh water. Growing water demand has led to over-pumping of these natural groundwater basins.

SURFACE STORAGE

Surface storage involves the use of reservoirs to collect water for later release and use. It has historically played an important role because it can store water in wet times and release it during dry times. However, it is very difficult to build new storage capacity because of environmental concerns, stream flow and loss of habitat.

RECYCLING

Recycling involves the collection of wastewater followed by treatment to make the effluent suitable for non-potable uses. Reuse can include irrigation, commercial and industrial processes and groundwater recharge. While many potential uses exist for recycled water, a number of health and cost barriers limit the use of recycling.

Case Study: Orange County Water District’s Groundwater Replenishment Program

WATER CONSERVATION

Conservation is intended to lower the demand for water through technological or behavioral changes. One mechanism is through groundwater banking, where one water agency “holds” water conserved by a different agency for future use, such as during a period of drought. Other techniques include water saving devices (e.g. low flow toilets) and practices (e.g. restrictions on yard watering).

WASTEWATER

Most of the SCAG region is serviced by a number of large publicly owned wastewater treatment facilities, such as the City of Los Angeles’ Hyperion Facility.  Future population and economic growth will require new or expanded wastewater facilities.

Case Study:  Hyperion Wastewater Treatment Plant 

WATER QUALITY

The general quality of surface water and groundwater in the SCAG region tends to be degraded as a result of land uses and water management practices. Agricultural lands use fertilizers and pesticides that degrade water quality. Septic systems degrade groundwater. The urbanization of the region has led to increased use of impervious surfaces and the concentration of pollutants that infiltrate the ground or are carried out to the ocean.

IMPORTED SOURCES

The SCAG region has historically depended on imported water to supplement local water supplies. Water is conveyed to the SCAG region by three major water projects:

• State Water Project

The water from these projects is fully allocated and cannot accommodate future growth projections in the SCAG region.

WATER DEMAND

Water demand in the SCAG region can generally be divided between water used for urban and agricultural uses and water necessary for maintaining existing ecosystems. In the SCAG region approximately three-quarters of the potable water is provided from imported sources. Through advances in water conservation, recycling and infrastructure improvements, an additional 3.5 million people have been accommodated with the same amount of imported water.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

California Department of Water Resources 
California State Water Resources Control Board  
US EPA Watershed Approach Framework 
US Army Corps of Engineers 
US Bureau of Reclamation 
Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority 
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California 
Association of Groundwater Agencies 
California Stormwater Quality Association

Waste Reduction & Global Climate Change

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Solid waste reduction and recycling help address global climate change. The manufacture, distribution and use of products – as well as management of the resulting waste – all result in greenhouse gas emissions. Waste prevention and recycling reduce greenhouse gases associated with these activities by reducing methane emissions, saving energy, and increasing forest carbon sequestration.

The California waste stream is primarily composed of organic (food) waste, paper products, and construction and demolition debris. Harder to decompose items such as plastic, glass, metal, electronic and hazardous wastes are also present in the waste stream in significant amounts. Traditional solid waste management has relied heavily on large landfills, and to a lesser degree incineration. However Federal, state and local laws and regulations are forcing a move towards waste prevention and minimization, including greater reliance on recycling and diversion.

California Integrated Waste Management Act

The California Integrated Waste Management Act (AB 939) requires that local governments prepare waste diversion plans. Now, recent legislation, AB 341, requires that 75% of the waste stream be recycled by 2020 and planning is underway to achieve that goal. The current State Agency dealing with waste issues is the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle).

Waste Prevention & Recycling

SCAG is responsible for looking at both short and long term solutions to effectively address the regional waste problem. In the short term, the region will still need to rely heavily on landfills and, when local facilities have filled to capacity, exporting the waste to other areas, leading to higher trash rates and added traffic congestion and air pollution. In the long term, SCAG will assist the region in changing the way residents and businesses think about trash and move towards a system of waste prevention and minimization. The move towards this system will take time and require a variety of waste management strategies, including extensive use of recycling. The SCAG region will need to achieve maximum diversion from landfills through emerging technologies, policies and best management practices.

SCAG SOLID AND HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT

SCAG works with local jurisdictions to help develop local and regional solid waste policies that help support state solid waste goals while supporting SCAG’s plans, such as the 2016-2040 Regional Transportation Plan / Sustainable Communities Strategy currently under development. In addition, SCAG monitors the development of hazardous waste management planning, pursuant to the California Health and Safety Code.

METHANE REDUCTION

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved a new regulation that reduces emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas, from municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills. The regulation, which became effective June 17, 2010, is a discrete early action greenhouse gas emission reduction measure, as described in the California Global Warming Solutions Act (“AB 32”). The regulation primarily requires owners and operators of certain uncontrolled MSW landfills to install gas collection and control systems, and requires existing and newly installed gas and control systems to operate in an optimal manner. The regulation allows local air districts to voluntarily enter into a memorandum of understanding with CARB to implement and enforce the regulation and to assess fees to cover costs.

INCINERATOR EMISSIONS REDUCTION

The use of incinerators to burn solid waste is an old technology. Historically, incinerators have created a number of undesirable by-products (solid, liquid, and gas). Conversion technologies (CTs) refer to a set of processes designed to reduce the by-products of incineration, and to create useful products such as industrial chemicals or gas, liquid, and solid fuels. The attraction of CTs is their ability to convert landfill waste into products that can take the place of fossil fuels mined from natural resources. One such process is Thermal (thermochemical) conversion, and is characterized by the use of high temperatures to achieve high conversion rates of dry, organic material. This process can include these techniques: gasification, pyrolysis, plasma arc, and catalytic cracking.

ENERGY CONSUMPTION EMISSION REDUCTIONS

One strategy to reduce GHG emissions is from reducing energy consumption. Recycling saves energy. Manufacturing goods from recycled materials usually requires less energy than producing goods from new materials. Waste prevention is even more effective at saving energy. When people reuse things or when products are made with less material, less energy is needed to extract, transport, and process raw materials and to manufacture products.  In short,  when energy demand decreases, fewer fossil fuels are burned and less CO2 is emitted into the atmosphere.

CARBON SEQUESTRATION

When CO2 is removed from the atmosphere by photosynthesis or other processes and stored in sinks (like forests, landfills or soil), it is sequestered. The principal carbon storage mechanisms under consideration are forests (related to paper and wood recycling), long-term storage of carbon in landfills, and the accumulation of carbon in soils resulting from compost application. Studies are under way to determine the value of these techniques to long-term greenhouse gas reduction efforts. However, the EPA currently includes estimates of carbon storage from landfills and forests in its national GHG inventory.

The SCAG Sustainability Awards recognize projects for contributing to the goals of the Connect SoCal Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy and for achieving progress toward a more mobile, sustainable, and prosperous region.    

CONTACT 

For questions regarding the 2024 SCAG Sustainability Awards, please contact:  
Lyle Janicek 
janicek@scag.ca.gov