Urgent Call To Action On Santa Rosa REACH Code
Urgent Call To Action at Santa Rosa City Council this Tuesday, November 12th, 4pm.
Adopt the All-Electric REACH code.
To the climate activist community:
We are at crunch time for an important climate-related item that the Santa Rosa City Council will be acting on before the end of the year. Not that we needed it but the Kincaid Fire reminded us again how vulnerable we truly are. You can take direct local action by attending this Tuesday's City Council meeting at Santa Rosa City Hall, Council Chambers, 100 Santa Rosa Ave.
This will be the first reading on whether the city should adopt an Electric REACH code for new housing. If you wish to offer a comment, please fill out a yellow card when you arrive. Typically, 3 minutes are allowed for speaking, though it is a good idea to have a 2 minute version as well. General comments begin no earlier than 5pm. Comments on the REACH code item #14.3 may be made when the item comes up on the agenda.
Background: The newest version of the California Building code goes into effect on January 1, 2020 and a REACH code is an option available to cities that seek to make buildings more resilient and climate friendly. An electric REACH code would require new residential homes and multi-story residences of 4 stories or less to have only electric appliances. Such a code eliminates the use of toxic natural gas which contains methane, a short-term greenhouse gas (GHG) that dangerously multiplies the effects of carbon dioxide. Eliminating methane gives us a longer window to deal with carbon.
See more info about the REACH CODE here on the Santa Rosa City website.
While not affecting existing homes, this REACH code is still a crucial first step toward acting in a serious way to address the climate emergency.
The primary opponents of such a code are builders and developers that prefer no disruption to their business model. They claim that homeowners are not asking for this, it is too costly and that it limits options. These would be worthy arguments for 10 or 20 years ago but recent science tells us our effective window for action is less than 10 years before serious climactic tipping points occur.
Your presence is important since local politicians respond well to a full house advocating for wise decisions.
Here is a sample letter that one could email to: [email protected] or send to 100 Santa Rosa Ave., Santa Rosa, Ca. 95404:
Dear Council member,
I’m writing to encourage the passage of the electric REACH code in Santa Rosa. This measure is an important action toward reducing the use of methane contained in natural gas. Electric homes are more efficient, less costly and emit far fewer GHGs than gas homes.
Thank you for considering such a wise action in the face of the climate emergency that our community faces, especially in light of the recent Kincaid Fire.
Respectfully, YOUR NAME. YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION.
Many thanks for your interest and involvement in this vital issue.
Re: Urgent Call To Action On Santa Rosa REACH Code
Dear Council member,
I’m writing to encourage the passage of the electric REACH code in Santa Rosa. This measure is an important action toward reducing the use of methane contained in natural gas. Electric homes are more efficient, less costly and emit far fewer GHGs than gas homes.
Thank you for considering such a wise action in the face of the climate emergency that our community faces, especially in light of the recent Kincaid Fire.
Dear Council Member,
I'm writing to discourage passage of the "make us more reliant on an unreliable source of energy" code in Santa Rosa. This measure makes us more reliant on an energy source that we can be deprived of at will, making firefighting more difficult, make homes more susceptible to overloading the grid, and creating more profit for a mega-corporation.
Thank you for considering such a wise action in the face of the yearly wildfire threat that causes disruptions to our power system, our lives and the economy.
