Climate Change: From 

Federal Policy to Local 

Action

Amy Zimpfer, P.E.

Associate Director, Air Division

U.S. EPA Region IX 

Berkeley Executive Seminar 2014

UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy

Center for Environmental Public Policy

30 July 2014
Climate Change: From 

Federal Policy to Local Action

Climate Change 

Science, Federal Policy 

& EPA Actions

Supporting Local Action

What EPA Region 9 is 

Doing Internally
Climate Change 

Science, Federal 

Policy & EPA Actions
4

National Climate Assessment—May 2014

• Finding 1: Global climate is changing and this is 

apparent across the United States in a wide range 

of observations. The global warming of the past 50 

years is primarily due to human activities, 

predominantly the burning of fossil fuels.
Climate Change Impacts

National Climate Assessment 2014—

12 Key Findings 

•Increased mean 

Temperatures

•More extreme storm

& drought events

•Less annual

Precipitation

• More wildfires

• Higher smog levels

http://nca2014.globalchange.gov

Finding 2: Some extreme weather 

and climate events have increased 

in recent decades, and new and 

stronger evidence confirms that 

some of these increases are related 

to human activities.
Southwest Region Findings

National Climate Assessment

• Snowpack and 

streamflow 

amounts are 

projected to decline 

in parts of the 

Southwest, 

decreasing surface 

water supply 

reliability for cities, 

agriculture, and 

ecosystems.

6

http://nca2014.globalchange.gov
Southwest Region Findings

National Climate Assessment

• Flooding and erosion 

in coastal areas are 

already occurring 

even at existing sea 

levels and damaging 

some California 

coastal areas during 

storms and extreme 

high tides. 

7

King tides at the Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA
President Obama’s June 2013 

Climate Action Plan: EPA’s Role

8

• Reducing carbon emissions 

from power plants & industry

• Building a 21st century 

transportation sector

• Cutting energy waste in homes, 

businesses, and factories

• Reducing methane and HFCs

• Leading international efforts to 

address global climate change

• Preparing the US for a 

changing climate 
Why is EPA Proposing to 

Address CO2?

9
Reducing Carbon Pollution from 

Power Plants

President’s Directive to EPA:

Develop carbon pollution standards, 

regulations or guidelines, as appropriate, for:

1. New power plants

» Proposed: January 8, 2014

2. Modified and reconstructed power plants

» Proposal: June 2014

» Final: June 2015

3. Existing power plants

» Proposed Guidelines: June 2014

» Final Guidelines: June 2015

» State Plans due: June 2016
EPA Proposed Clean Power 

Plan—June 2, 2014

• Proposed EPA guidelines to cut carbon pollution 

from existing power plants

• State Plans would be due June, 2016

• By 2030, carbon emissions will reduced by 30% 

from 2005 levels

• Will also by 2030, reduce by over 25% pollutants that 

contribute to the soot and smog 

• Spur investment in cleaner and more efficient 

technologies, creating jobs and driving innovation

• Lead to health and climate benefits worth an 

estimated $55 billion to $93 billion in 2030 

• Final EPA Guidelines June, 2015
Building Block for Goal Strategy EPA Used 

to Calculate the 

State Goal

Examples of State 

Compliance Measures

1. Make fossil fuel-fired

power plants more 

efficient

Efficiency 

Improvements

• Efficiency improvements

• Co-firing or switching to natural gas

• Coal retirements

• Retrofit CCS (e.g.,WA Parish in 

Texas)

2. Use lower-emitting 

power sources more

Dispatch changes to 

existing natural gas 

combined cycle (CC)

• Dispatch changes to existing natural 

gas CC

3. Build more zero or 

low-emitting energy 

sources

Renewable Energy

Certain Nuclear

• New Natural gas-fired Combined 

Cycle Units

• Renewables

• Nuclear (new and up-rates)

• New coal with CCS

4. Use electricity more 

efficiently

Demand-side energy 

efficiency programs

• Demand-side energy efficiency 

programs

• Transmission efficiency 

improvements

• Energy storage

12

* States are not limited to the Building Blocks and have flexibility to determine how to meet their goal 

Public Comment Period Ends Oct. 16, 2104

http://www.epa.gov/cleanpowerplan
Building a 21st Century 

Transportation System

13
Supporting Energy Efficiency and 

Making Products Cleaner

14
Supporting Renewable 

Energy

• Green Power Partnership

– Marin Energy Authority

• Help businesses,

governments, colleges

to buy “green power”

• Support the Development of 

Renewable Energy
Preparing the US for the Impacts of 

Climate Change--President Obama’s 

Nov. 2013 Executive Order

• Direction Federal Agencies to support and 

encourage climate resilient investments

• Established Task Force of State, Local and 

Tribal Leaders on Climate Preparedness and 

Resilience

• Implementation of Agency Climate Change 

Adaptation Plans

16
Supporting Local 

Governments Action
Light-Duty Plug-in Electric 

Vehicle Economic Analysis

 Baseline Usage = 15,000 mi/yr

 BEV vs. Gasoline ICE (28 mpg)

 Emissions > 3 CO2 tons reduced/yr/vehicle (CA grid)

 Petroleum > 500 gasoline gallons saved/yr/vehicle

 Operational Costs > $2,300 (79%) saved/yr/vehicle

 PHEV vs. Gasoline ICE (28 mpg)

 Emissions > 2 CO2 tons reduced/yr/vehicle (CA grid)

 Petroleum > 300 gasoline gallons saved/yr/vehicle

 Operational Costs > $1,700 (58%) saved/yr/vehicle
Medium-Duty Plug-in Electric 

Vehicle Economic Analysis

 MD E-Truck vs. Diesel ICE (7.4 mpg)

 Baseline Usage = 19,800 mi/yr

 Emissions > 22 CO2 tons reduced/yr/vehicle (CA grid)

 Petroleum > 2,600 diesel gallons saved/yr/vehicle

 Operational Costs > $12,500 (85%) saved/yr/vehicle

 E-School Bus vs. Diesel ICE (5.6 mpg)

 Baseline Usage = 13,000 mi/yr

 Emissions > 21 CO2 tons reduced/yr/vehicle (CA Grid)

 Petroleum > 2,300 diesel gallons saved/yr/vehicle

 OperationalCosts > $10,800 (89%) saved/yr/vehicle
Bay Area Regional Renewable 

Energy Procurement Project 

• Joint team: Joint Venture Silicon Valley, Contra 

Costa Economic Partnership, County of Alameda

• Renewable energy: Solar PV, solar hot water, 

fuel cells, wind, advanced energy storage

• Currently reviewing 200 sites from 25 different 

local agencies for 50MW

• Best practice guide from phase I available here: 

http://www.jointventure.org/images/stories/pdf/

purchasing.power_best.practices.guide.to.

collaborative.solar.procurement.pdf
Mapping project of CA degraded sites 

with National Renewable Energy 

Laboratory (NREL) 

12,000 sites screened for RE potential

Static Maps 

Google Earth 

Mapping Tool

Data Sets
Solar & Wind Decision Trees

I. PreScreening

• Solar or Wind Resource

• Available Area

• Distance to Existing Infrastructure

• Site Topology

• Redevelopment Priorities & Land Use 

Exclusions

II. Site 

Screening

• Owner interest

• System Type: Rooftop or Ground 

Mount

• Electricity Costs

• Energy Demand

• Contaminated Site Considerations, 

Status, and Readiness

III. Financial 

Screening

• Policy Considerations

• Federal and State rebates and 

incentives

• Installation costs

Brownfields, 

Superfund or 

RCRA sites

Landfills

Underutilized 

rooftops

Parking lots

Abandoned 

parcels

Screening Sites for Solar PV or Wind Energy Potential

Emphasis on Redevelopment of Potentially Contaminated Sites, Underutilized Sites, or Rooftops
Landfill Methane Outreach 

Program (LMOP)

Goal

• Encourage the recovery of landfill gas for use as an 

alternative energy source by overcoming barriers to 

project development

Services

• LMOP Online Toolkit: software 

tools to estimate emissions and 

emissions rates

• Support services to assist with 

the development of LFG projects 

www.epa.gov/lmop
Biogas Mapping Tool

http://epamap21.epa.gov/biogas/index.html
Climate Showcase Communities 

grants - Honolulu

• Installation of home 

energy monitors

• Energy audits

• To date, reduced 

2,538 tons of CO2e, 

$942,012 savings

Other projects –

Packaging 

reductions, food 

waste digester

http://www.epa.gov/statelocalclimate/local/showcase/
EPA Region 9 Climate Change 

Adaptation (CCA) Plan:

Addressing Vulnerabilities – Water 

Supply 

• Improved System Efficiency

• Audits

• Leak Detection

• Pressure Optimization

• Demand Management

• Water Efficiency  WaterSense

• Metering & Revising Rates

• Stormwater Harvesting/Green Infrastructure

• Renewable Water

• Water recycling

• On-site reuse 
R9 CCA Plan

Addressing Vulnerabilities –

Storms/Sea Level Rise

• Green Infrastructure

• “Horizontal Levees”

• 404 Permitting, NEPA 

Reviews

• Address Saltwater 

Intrusion into Coastal 

Aquifers

• Identify Vulnerable 

Areas for Emergency 

Planning
R9 CCA Plan – Support Local 

Adaptation Efforts

Stormwater Capture to:

- Replenish Groundwater

- Improve Flood Protection

- Protect Water Quality

Water Reuse

Promote Green Infrastructure
R9 CCA Plan –

Tools to improve resiliency

Climate Ready 

Estuaries: Bay 

Area Climate and 

Resilience Project

http://www.abag.ca.gov/jointpolicy/projects.html

2014 California Adaptation Forum: August 

19-20, 2014 in Sacramento

http://www.californiaadaptationforum.org/program
Funding Sources for Communities

• Brownfields Grants

• Clean Water State Revolving Fund

• Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE)

• Diesel Emission Reduction Grants

• Environmental Education (EE)

• Environmental Justice (EJ) Small Grants

• Indoor Air Quality Tools for School Program- Asthma Management Training

• National Environmental Information Exchange Network Grant

• Non-Construction Market-based Approaches to Reducing GHG Emissions Through Energy Efficiency in Homes & 

Buildings

• Nonpoint Source Water Pollution Control

• Pollution Prevention Grants (PPG) for States/Tribes

• Regional Agriculture Grants

• Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Fund

• Solid Waste Assistance Grants/Tribal Solid Waste Grants (Resource Conservation)

• Source Reduction Assistance

• Superfund Technical Assistance Grants (TAGs)

• Targeted Grants to Reduce Childhood Lead Poisoning

• Wetland Program Development Grants 104(b)(3)

http://www.epa.gov/region9/funding/fundingsources/index.html 30
What EPA Region 9 is 

Doing Internally: 

Sustainable Region 9
 Environmental Management System (ISO 14001) -

tool to move Region 9 toward sustainability 

(SR9 Team & Advisory Committee)

 Policies Adopted:

 Zero Waste by 2012

 Carbon Neutral by 2012

 Green Meetings & Conferences

 Green Transportation

 Green Procurement

 Specific Actions To Reduce Resource Consumption--

Numeric Targets, Shared Responsibility & External 

Audits

 Uses Fewer Resources, Reduces Pollution, Saves $

Sustainable Region 9 (SR9)
Air Emissions

- fossil fuel use

Air Pollution

Depletion of natural resources (fossil fuel)

Energy Use

- electricity use Depletion of natural resource (fossil fuel)

Air pollution (during generation)

Material Use

- paper use

- chemical use

Use of natural resource 

(trees, fossil fuels, chemicals)

Depletion of habitat

Waste

- solid waste

Contamination of land 

Water pollution (from leaching)

Water Use Use of natural resource (water)

Reduce Resource 

Consumption

Reduces Potential 

Impacts
Some Exciting Results: 

100% of monitors & 

computers “sleep”

> 100 MT GHG 

(each year)

Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) 

offset R9 energy purchases (100%) 

100% EPEAT purchases

Regional supply center -

Replaced products containing 

chemicals of concern 

Janitorial supplies -

90% replaced

Zero Waste 

(97% diversion rate)

49% paper use reduction 
Questions?

http://www.epa.gov/cleanpowerplan

http://epa.gov/region9/climatechange

http://epa.gov/region9/ems

http://www.epa.gov/sustainability/ 

More Information at:

Amy Zimpfer

Associate Director, Air Division

US EPA Region 9

zimpfer.amy@epa.gov