North Bay Business Journal

NAPA COUNTY — Founded five years ago with a startup grant from the Peter A. and Vernice H. Gasser Foundation and support from other partners, Sustainable Napa County helps local nonprofits conserve energy and water. But this is just the beginning.

SANTA ROSA — Greenhouse-gas emissions have continued a three-year downward trend in Sonoma County, primarily reduced by fewer vehicle trips in a slowed economy and a greater supply of renewable energy, according to a report released today.

NAPA COUNTY — As planners in Napa County continue development of a strategy to address state-mandated reductions to greenhouse gas emissions, industry groups have expressed concern that a proposed local market for carbon credits will increase costs for developers and suppress new vineyard and agricultural projects in the region.

In this interview and his presentation at Construction Conference 2011 on Tuesday, Paul Campos, senior vice president of governmental affairs and general counsel of the Building Industry Association of the Bay Area, will explore emerging area-wide actions by “superregulators” and how contractors can have a say in the outcome of those decisions.

SACRAMENTO — State air-quality regulators late last week adopted 10- and 25-year targets for reductions in greenhouse gases in the major metropolitan areas in the state over the objections of some business groups and certain policy planners that the targets for the Los Angeles and greater San Francisco Bay areas will result in high fuel and transportation costs and more environmental-impact lawsuits for real estate developers.

The impact of California’s mandated reductions in greenhouse gas will be reviewed at the upcoming Solano Economic Development Corp. meeting in Fairfield.

NORTH BAY — New guidelines by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District on greenhouse gas emissions relating to construction projects have the potential to set forth clearer standards, but concerns have been raised that some provisions could increase the time and cost for the already-complex process of environmental impact reviews.

SONOMA COUNTY — A proposed rock quarry that proponents say could fill a vital need for gravel for local projects has faced numerous environmental hurdles, chief among them the environmental impact review process after the land off Roblar Road was found to be housing an endangered species.

A group calling itself the Santa Rosa Neighborhood Association created a furor in the West End portion of the city early this summer by circulating fliers claiming “the city of Santa Rosa is in the process of imposing green building requirements on all existing buildings that will impact your home and business.”

SANTA ROSA – Former Sebastopol City Manager David Brennan has assumed a new role as the regional climate protection coordinator with the Sonoma County Transportation Authority.

NORTH BAY – As government policy evolves on all levels to cut human-caused emissions of what are considered climate-changing gases, state and Bay Area air-quality regulators recently released draft guidelines aimed at helping planning officials and the building industry gauge how much would be considered too much from a given project per environmental-protection laws.

SANTA ROSA – Former Sebastopol City Manager Dave Brennan has come out of retirement to help coordinate efforts by Sonoma County governments to meet looming deadlines for reducing greenhouse gases.