Unknown: 11.
Unknown: Oh
Unknown: Good evening everyone and welcome to the policy committee and special board meeting of December 10th
SPEAKER_13: 2025 this room is equipped with a safety alarm if the alarm sounds please leave in an orderly manner via the exits to the
SPEAKER_13: Lobby or behind the dais?
SPEAKER_13: Assemble in front of the building and wait to hear the all-clear announcement from the security before reentering
Unknown: This meeting is being recorded and can be accessed on smud's website
SPEAKER_13: Please remember to unmute your microphone when speaking in order that our virtual attendees may hear the microphone will display a green indicator
SPEAKER_13: Light when the mic is on for members of the public attending in person who wish to speak at the meeting
SPEAKER_13: Please fill out a speaker's form
SPEAKER_13: Located on the table outside the room and hand it to smud security staff
Unknown: members of the public attending this meeting virtually who wish to provide verbal comments during the committee meeting may do so by using the
SPEAKER_13: Raise hand feature in zoom or pressing star 9 while dialed into the telephone toll-free number at the time
SPEAKER_13: The public comment is called technical support staff will enable the audio for you when your name is announced during the public comment period
Unknown: You may also submit written comments by emailing them to pub
SPEAKER_13: public comment at smud org
Unknown: Written comments will not be read into the record but will be provided to the board
SPEAKER_13: Electronically and placed into the record of the meeting if received within two hours after the meeting ends
Unknown: Chiefly go off sir. Would you please conduct the roll call?
Unknown: Dr. Kurz
Unknown: Dr. Herbert you chair Sam born here all committee members are present also present our directors rose Bowie Thompson and president fishman
Unknown: Thank you very much
Unknown: So before we start their first item
SPEAKER_13: I'm gonna just let a few people know I've already talked to a few of you who have filled out the speakers forms
SPEAKER_13: That we are going to limit the comments for the information contained to the monitoring report of which we're discussing
SPEAKER_13: Which focuses on smud's activities in 2024?
Unknown: Comments related to the Coyote Creek project should be addressed during the general
SPEAKER_13: General public comment period for the items that are not on the agenda
Unknown: So thank you for your your help with that
Unknown: So agenda item number one on tonight's agenda is to discuss the monitoring report for strategic directive 7 environmental leadership and
Unknown: tonight's in row now we're gonna have our
SPEAKER_13: Our staff Emily bikini who is going to the interim director of safety and environmental and real estate services give the presentation
SPEAKER_13: So welcome again Emily great
Unknown: Good evening. Thank you director Sanborn
SPEAKER_05: My name is Emily bikini and I'm the interim
SPEAKER_05: Director of the safety environmental and real estate services team and I'm here to share with you tonight
SPEAKER_05: How smud has committed how smud's actions in 2024 demonstrate our compliance with SD 7 environmental leadership
Unknown: This slide shows our environmental leadership language. It's been pretty consistent for the past several years
SPEAKER_05: But in 2024 we did add a phrase under part a enhancing region regional biodiversity
SPEAKER_05: And I'll spend a slide talking specifically about some work. We've done in that space later in my presentation
Unknown: This slide shows our greenhouse gas emissions in
SPEAKER_05: 2024 our
SPEAKER_05: Emissions were one point six nine two million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. That's just over
SPEAKER_05: 113,000 metric tons compared to 2023
SPEAKER_05: fluctuations in total emissions very year to year primarily due to our hydroelectricity production and
SPEAKER_05: changes in customer demand
Unknown: Brian swan will speak more to our 2024 emissions during his SD 9 presentation later this evening in
SPEAKER_05: 2023 we started sharing through on our website smud org our
SPEAKER_05: Quarterly generation and estimated greenhouse gas emissions for our thermal power plants and power purchased from our kalpine Sutter plant
Unknown: That data 2024 data is shown on the right the planned and actual greenhouse gas emissions from our thermal generation
SPEAKER_05: Reflect total emissions needed to serve smud customer energy needs and market sales to support California and our neighboring states
Unknown: our
SPEAKER_05: examples of how smud conducts its business fairs
SPEAKER_05: Sustainably include our work with the Sacramento tree foundation in 2024 through our partnership. They distributed
SPEAKER_05: 11,000 363 trees as part of their Sacramento shade program serving over 2,500 customers
SPEAKER_05: 4136 trees were planted in under resourced communities
Unknown: Our warehouse team had a remarkable year with their investment recovery and sustainable solutions program
SPEAKER_05: Generating over 1 million dollars from recycled materials and diverting 980 tons from the landfill
Unknown: Our warehouse material specialists saved over
SPEAKER_05: $580,000 specifically by implementing a circular economy model where they redeploy
SPEAKER_05: Reuse or repurpose and recycle the tools and equipment that they received back from folks in the field
Unknown: We also returned to our manufacturers
SPEAKER_05: 309 wood reels and we started receiving those back
SPEAKER_05: reschooled we received 79 of those back in 2024 with new wire and
Unknown: Then additionally we were able to reuse or recycle a little over 1600 wood pallets instead of sending those to the landfill
Unknown: In late 2024 we received our incidental take permit for our operation and maintenance habitat conservation plan
Unknown: This plan reflects our commitment to responsible environmental stewardship by actively protecting habitat for seven federally listed species
Unknown: while balancing service and reliability for our customers
SPEAKER_05: environmental services staff obtained
SPEAKER_05: Mitigation credits to offset impacts and protect habitat for the Valley Elderberry Longhorn beetle and the giant garter snake
Unknown: We also acquired or allocated mitigation credits at our smud nature preserve mitigation bank
Unknown: For the vernal pull fairy shrimp vernal pull tadpole shrimp in California tiger salamander
Unknown: As it relates to electric equipment or I'm sorry equipment electrification smud has been able to
SPEAKER_05: Replace 96% of its gas and diesel powered equipment with equivalent
SPEAKER_05: Electric or battery powered tools by researching market availability and capitalizing on technological improvements
SPEAKER_05: Emily when you say equipment is that excluding our our mobile equipment vehicles? That's like
SPEAKER_18: Handheld stuff. These are like hand tools exactly. Although it does include that last slide showed
Unknown: We did have a little so this is off-road all off-road
Unknown: All off-road, can you just send me a note?
SPEAKER_18: Sure, just defining what that is. Okay, we'll do
Unknown: Well, it's basically non transportation right we're not we're not talking about our our
SPEAKER_05: trucks or
SPEAKER_05: Equipment like that, but I do want to say how impressive that is because I don't know of any other major
SPEAKER_13: community organization that has
SPEAKER_13: Basically gone all electrification on all their equipment whether it's a chainsaw or you know
SPEAKER_13: The air quality and from those two-stroke engines is pretty it's very impactful. So thank you
SPEAKER_06: Just a quick question
SPEAKER_06: Along those lines the the mowers the grass mowers. Are they also electric?
Unknown: I'll have to check double check on that. I I'm not sure where those
Unknown: Ended up
Unknown: All right in the enhancing regional biodiversity space
SPEAKER_05: I want to point out a couple of the pollinator projects that we had the opportunity to work on in 2024 at our orangevale substation
SPEAKER_05: We received a pollinator program grant from the rights of way as habitat working group
Unknown: Which allowed us to install the second phase of the native plant pollinator garden along the southern portion of the entrance to the substation
Unknown: Smud's carpentry shop designed and installed unique benches and borders along with multi
SPEAKER_05: Lingle signage this garden is a test site for us. We've installed a thick layer of the mulch
Unknown: That comes from our vegetation management activities to help eliminate the need for additional watering and our partners on that project
SPEAKER_05: included the Sacramento Native Plant Society
SPEAKER_05: home growers for social justice and the city of citrus Heights and we also had additional outreach to the Mitchell Park Homeowners Association
SPEAKER_05: We were also able to partner with the El Dorado Hills Community Service District on an ambitious bicycle park
Unknown: That will include a pollinator garden within a portion of our transmission line easement
SPEAKER_05: Smud staff from multiple departments provided feedback to support the design and long-term success of the garden a
SPEAKER_05: large group of smud cares volunteers were able to assist with the installation of the first phase of native plant
SPEAKER_05: planting in October of 2024
SPEAKER_05: In our sustainable community space our shine awards program
SPEAKER_05: invests in local collaboration and partnerships by supporting our historically under resourced
SPEAKER_05: nonprofit partners that execute inclusive and equitable projects in their communities in
SPEAKER_05: 2024 84 organizations submitted applications and we were able to award over
SPEAKER_05: $500,000 to fund 29 projects
SPEAKER_05: Additionally in 2024 smud partnered with the Volunteers of America
SPEAKER_05: To provide services to unhoused population around our infrastructure sites
SPEAKER_05: Often crews will find unhoused campers and unsafe situations
SPEAKER_05: Now instead of calling security we're able to reach out to the volunteers of America social workers to connect the person
SPEAKER_05: with additional resources
SPEAKER_05: and and provide education on
SPEAKER_05: safety
SPEAKER_05: And that completes my presentation for this evening happy to take any other questions
SPEAKER_05: Thank you, Emily the board members have any questions, of course
SPEAKER_05: Thank you chair
SPEAKER_06: Well, one thing that I want to say is that
Unknown: I really appreciate how your team is looking at biodiversity
SPEAKER_06: you know
SPEAKER_06: That's
SPEAKER_06: You know, um, that's that's the bigger picture. That's what we want to embrace
SPEAKER_06: And so I I really want to acknowledge that and I hope that can
SPEAKER_06: continue
SPEAKER_06: the other thing that
SPEAKER_06: I am wondering about
SPEAKER_06: is our
SPEAKER_06: pollinator
SPEAKER_06: Gardens like do you all have?
Unknown: Um
SPEAKER_06: Plans to expand that might we someday see you know
SPEAKER_06: You know install your own pollinator garden. Here's a kit from smud like we do with the trees
SPEAKER_06: Um, I just I just am wondering where we're going with that. Maybe that's a great question
SPEAKER_05: It is still a fairly young program
SPEAKER_05: And right now we're looking for opportunities to take advantage of projects that have
SPEAKER_05: Work in this in a similar area where we can just kind of add on the pollinator
SPEAKER_05: garden work
SPEAKER_05: but we are looking for opportunities to expand that and
SPEAKER_05: We'll continue to keep the board updated on those those efforts. Well, thank you to you and your team. Thank you
Unknown: So that was like the citrus heights project where we were doing a bike path anyway
SPEAKER_13: So we added the pollinator garden exactly so we should be looking with our partners if we hear about any projects along our our
SPEAKER_13: Transmission lines maybe possibly bringing it to your attention. Absolutely. It could be something we could work on. Okay. Thank you. Yes, director
Unknown: Emily i'm just wondering if we do any benchmarking against other utilities
SPEAKER_03: Of similar size and scope just to smud to see where we are. Are we looking at how we're doing compared to our peers?
SPEAKER_05: In in what area specifically director specific for the environmental
SPEAKER_03: Stuff that we're doing
SPEAKER_03: The specifically the mitigation not not not the stuff that we sort of have to do the stuff that we go beyond
SPEAKER_03: The requirements sure we do do a variety of benchmarking in in different ways
SPEAKER_05: in the carbon
SPEAKER_05: Emissions space we do disclose to the carbon cdp which used to stand for the carbon disclosure project and that allows us to benchmark against
SPEAKER_05: Organizations not just utilities but organizations around the world
SPEAKER_05: We have partnerships within epri
SPEAKER_05: Where we we do some additional benchmarking in the environmental space
SPEAKER_05: So so we do a fair amount of that
SPEAKER_05: But i'm not sure if that answers your question is that okay
Unknown: Thank you, and I think we've won the jd powers
SPEAKER_13: Award for sustainability the most sustainable utility. I think twice in a row already. That's correct
SPEAKER_13: And it does include all of these sorts of extra things. So
SPEAKER_13: And they do thank you the metrics against other utilities across the country if I understood it correctly
Unknown: Yes, director, um her thank you
Unknown: You know i'm wondering kind of along the lines of what director fishman was saying
SPEAKER_06: Is there any way to quantify?
Unknown: Um how we're contributing to the biodiversity
SPEAKER_06: of
SPEAKER_06: Sacramento county
Unknown: I mean to measure it like, you know, we we install solar panels and we talk about the energy
SPEAKER_06: It generates and how many home, you know homes it serves
SPEAKER_06: But i'm just wondering
SPEAKER_06: And I don't know maybe there is in a way. It just seems like we do so much
SPEAKER_06: Uh in a
SPEAKER_06: Biodiversity manner that we ought to be able to quantify it
Unknown: That is something we could take a look at I know we own or have um, such a small control a land use control
SPEAKER_05: relative to sacramento county that it's
Unknown: our work is important, but it's
Unknown: It's not substantial I wouldn't say relative to all of of sacramento county
SPEAKER_05: There are a lot of other land uses a lot of other agencies that have control over those land uses
SPEAKER_05: That that we couldn't have influence on
Unknown: Thank you
SPEAKER_18: So I have a number of different comments, um, some are good some are gonna annoy you I hope we face that
SPEAKER_18: um
SPEAKER_18: The first thing I wanted to mention the the orangevale substation. I had the opportunity a couple of days before thanksgiving
SPEAKER_18: to go out with our staff
SPEAKER_18: For me they were working for me. It was mostly a tour
SPEAKER_18: They were busy planting
SPEAKER_18: um things but it was just um
SPEAKER_18: It was a beautiful location and I was impressed that the whole veg management team has been going out there
SPEAKER_18: On a regular basis and seeing the real commitment
SPEAKER_18: Um to that parcel and it was it was beautiful the plants were growing. Um,
SPEAKER_18: They put up like bat boxes and owl boxes
SPEAKER_18: And you have these lovely
SPEAKER_18: Benches that were made up from some of the redwood trees that we had to have taken down as well
SPEAKER_18: So I just wanted to point that I definitely appreciate
SPEAKER_18: Um the commitment in the organization to the pollinator work
SPEAKER_18: um
SPEAKER_18: Overall with this report. I think I find this report a little bit just lacking in its depth in this breadth and and
SPEAKER_18: I'm here
SPEAKER_18: All year long and so I see like there's a lot that we're doing and we get them in the individual ports
SPEAKER_18: uh, and so like transportation electrification would be one where we did a whole presentation on it, but it's
SPEAKER_18: A sentence in this and so I would love potentially next year to see a little bit longer
SPEAKER_18: Uh and more thorough report covering some of the other topics
SPEAKER_18: as well, um
SPEAKER_18: One of them i'll ask you just to touch on a little bit
SPEAKER_18: Is just to talk a little bit more about the biodiversity and um the nature-based carbon solution plans that we have for
SPEAKER_18: In the studies that we have coming up in the next year or two
Unknown: Okay, um, there was a robust presentation about a month ago on the work that we're doing and with the nature-based carbon
SPEAKER_05: Carbon solutions and biodiversity
SPEAKER_05: Studies, um, I understand that the results from those studies will be available
SPEAKER_05: Mid-year next year and so we'll be able to report back on with the
SPEAKER_05: The board on that document or on that report
Unknown: um
Unknown: You would like to hear somewhere about some of the other biodiversity work that we're doing
Unknown: I think the carbon-based solution is what I was really thinking about. Okay, um
SPEAKER_18: And this and then this more just the board the board members when we look at the language of the sd7
SPEAKER_18: Right, and we spent some time last year going through and we expanded the biodiversity
SPEAKER_18: um
Unknown: I think we need to really
SPEAKER_18: Make sure that we're meeting the objectives of this sd
SPEAKER_18: I definitely think there might be opportunities to edit it to strengthen some language in our commitment
SPEAKER_18: And so I would throw that out there
SPEAKER_18: Um, if there's any if there's any other interests, um, maybe we maybe we like appoint a committee
SPEAKER_18: Um to do a little deeper dive with staff and go through this in more detail because we're not necessarily seeing
SPEAKER_18: The outcomes that we would like to see
SPEAKER_18: from this language and
SPEAKER_18: Um, so that's just my personal this has been on my mind
Unknown: Is that something? Um
Unknown: Director rosa you'd like to work on
SPEAKER_13: with the staff then
SPEAKER_13: Uh are going over with me and then we can propose something
Unknown: I'd be happy to volunteer to do that unless okay i'm gonna be happy to also not do it
SPEAKER_18: What's
SPEAKER_13: Well, you brought it up so
SPEAKER_13: Okay, because we did just add that that language pretty recently I think on the biodiversity
SPEAKER_13: And so maybe it would be helpful
SPEAKER_13: On some of the specific things that we say in the policy that we have slides directly related to those words
SPEAKER_13: So that's very clear. These are the things that we're doing to address what the board asked for in the policy
Unknown: um, because things like for me that didn't
SPEAKER_13: I I've always asked about is like things like birds
SPEAKER_13: How many birds are we taking out with those windmill blades and what are we doing to compensate for that?
SPEAKER_13: And I know we do a lot so maybe you can speak to that a little bit so people know we're we're working on those things
SPEAKER_05: Sure, uh specific to our win our wind projects we do have
SPEAKER_05: Permits in place um to address and mitigate any impacts to special status birds particularly golden and bald eagles
Unknown: um
Unknown: We do regular monitoring to see if um, if birds are being injured or killed by those activities
SPEAKER_05: And then we do have a retrofit program in place where we work to
SPEAKER_05: update the
SPEAKER_05: infrastructure in our poles to minimize
SPEAKER_05: Those types of injuries or deaths
SPEAKER_05: Within our service territory and isn't it a blade that kind of makes noise or something so they can
Unknown: There's some way they could see it or hear it
Unknown: So they're not as likely to strike the blade
Unknown: I don't believe that we've um started implementing any of those measures, but there there have been times where we've also
SPEAKER_05: Shut down the wind turbines in areas where we know that they have a history of
SPEAKER_05: having
Unknown: Bird strikes, especially during certain times of year when there's a lot of migration moving through
Unknown: Okay, and the corporate based solutions presentation. That's something that was amazing
Unknown: So we're doing a lot of work in that so people know who are here and interested in these issues
Unknown: Um, we're basically going to come up with a map of where in this county
SPEAKER_13: We're going to have the best opportunities to do carbon sequestration in the soil naturally and then how would we?
Unknown: Approach that the most cost effective way. So that's a really interesting and a powerful study
SPEAKER_13: Um one of the first of its kind I believe so we hope to really lead in that in that area, too
SPEAKER_13: Um, we also added native shrubs to the tree foundation contract. That was from recently
SPEAKER_13: That was just a this year thing not from 2024
SPEAKER_13: But we're very pleased about that and then I just want to thank the staff again on the recent recycling what you're doing to
SPEAKER_13: require those giant
SPEAKER_13: spools to be
SPEAKER_13: rewound with the wire
Unknown: When I first saw how heavy those spools are what a waste to just use them once
SPEAKER_13: So it's so nice that they're getting reused and repurposed and going back and forth and the wood pallets, too
SPEAKER_13: That's a lot a lot of energy and and wood. So
SPEAKER_13: um
SPEAKER_13: So it sounds like a more robust
SPEAKER_13: maybe aligning with some of the words next year and and
SPEAKER_13: You can tell we care a lot about this. The board has always cared a lot about this
SPEAKER_13: So thank you very much. Emily. Is there anything else from the board before I go to comments? Okay
SPEAKER_13: So I think rosie yakuob from sack 350. Did you want to go on this one or do you want to wait till the end then?
Unknown: The next item it said one and two so you want just two
Unknown: Or the okay
SPEAKER_13: Right, so we'll put that at the end. Perfect
Unknown: Okay, and then I have one from david wright on agenda item one and before you came in I did say that coyote creek issues will be
SPEAKER_13: Taken at the public comment period at the end because that really wasn't part of this
SPEAKER_13: Discussion on what happened in 2024. So if you'd like to talk about it
Unknown: Uh, we can do it at the public comment period at the end
Unknown: Otherwise, please come to microphone
Unknown: Okay
SPEAKER_15: David wright
SPEAKER_15: Just speaking for myself
SPEAKER_15: I did find the this report a little bit myopic
SPEAKER_15: Focused on sort of the window dressing and not on the core functions of smud
SPEAKER_15: right, uh, where's the discussion of the millions of
SPEAKER_15: tons
SPEAKER_15: of co2 emitted
Unknown: um
Unknown: and uh
Unknown: The fact that one thing you could do as a leader
Unknown: Uh in the environmental field is to say we're not going to
SPEAKER_15: Blame other people for the emissions that we're putting into the atmosphere even if we're sending the power out to them
SPEAKER_15: Right the emissions go into the atmosphere
Unknown: anyway
Unknown: Right if if we're truly going to be zero carbon, let's be honest about it and put that in our report
SPEAKER_15: We're burning millions of tons of
SPEAKER_15: carbon
SPEAKER_15: that uh
Unknown: And we we have to be report that and likewise, you know, we're talking about pollinators we're talking about
SPEAKER_15: Um carbon sequestration in natural systems coyote creek
Unknown: Um, there's a place where there are lots of pollinator benefits if you don't
SPEAKER_15: Don't rate it and turn it into a field of uh, solar panels. I'm all for solar panels, but not there
SPEAKER_15: Thanks
SPEAKER_13: Thank you, um
Unknown: And I think we have one more comment sean worth and I can't read your group of felicia
SPEAKER_14: Oh eco
SPEAKER_14: Contrasting okay, you have to you have to come to the microphone. Is it about this item or no? Should we put it at the end?
SPEAKER_13: Okay, well this this agenda item is for 2024 environmental monitoring of what we did in 2024
Unknown: The vote on coyote creek that we originally did was years ago. So we'll take that up with the public comment at the end
SPEAKER_13: Please thank you so much. Appreciate it
Unknown: um, okay
Unknown: And I think all the rest are for the public comment so I will hold those
Unknown: So, thank you. I think we got a lot of good feedback today. Oh, i'm sorry. Yeah, we do have one
SPEAKER_13: We do have one online online comment. I'm sorry, you're welcome to speak. Um, if you're online go ahead
Unknown: Hello, can you hear us
Unknown: Was it chris something I saw uh, yeah, it's about coyote creek seems put me at the end
SPEAKER_13: Okay, very good. Thank you
Unknown: Okay
SPEAKER_13: So we'll move on to agenda item number two which is to discuss the monitoring report for strategic directive nine resource planning
Unknown: And this will be presented by brian swan our director of resource planning and settlements
SPEAKER_13: And we'll go ahead and turn it over to you. Thank you. All right. Thank you. Chair. Sanborn. Um, good evening border directors
SPEAKER_20: I'm here tonight to present the highlights of
SPEAKER_20: sc9 resource planning
SPEAKER_20: Resource planning is um, the sc9 resource planning objectives a very far reaching objective for the organization
SPEAKER_20: It touches each one of our executives areas their staffs are involved in
SPEAKER_20: Present are providing the progress that we're presenting here tonight
SPEAKER_20: So I do want to thank all the staff teams out there that have worked so hard
SPEAKER_20: In 2024 to provide this progress update here
Unknown: Now as we heard in sd7 our emissions to meet retail sales, uh, we're about
SPEAKER_20: 1.69
SPEAKER_20: million metric tons
Unknown: And in sd9 what we like to do is describe why that was either higher or lower for the year than maybe what we had planned
SPEAKER_20: And
Unknown: In 2024 our loads were materially higher. We had um, our loads were about 4 higher for the year
SPEAKER_20: That's about 400 000 megawatt hours of additional demand that we had not planned for
Unknown: That was primarily weather driven
SPEAKER_20: Um cooling degree days we had 11 increase relative to normal. And so that increased air conditioning load for for the summer 2024
Unknown: Our hydro is down about 10
SPEAKER_20: And we had lower than expected wind generation by about 8
Unknown: All total between these areas is about 300 000 metric tons of additional estimated emissions
SPEAKER_20: Due to again higher demand and lower hydro and renewable generation
Unknown: When that happens
Unknown: higher demand lower variable energy resources the one
SPEAKER_20: resource you have in those instances is natural gas or unspecified purchases from the market
SPEAKER_20: Either of those come with additional carbon emissions associated. So had these things kind of gone to plan
SPEAKER_20: We would have been just under 1.4 million metric tons for the year
SPEAKER_20: Albeit again sd7 emissions are actual emissions to meet retail sales were 1.69
SPEAKER_20: Volume metric tons. I want to make that clear
Unknown: Now highlights for the year, um, we continue to develop the future pipeline of resources
SPEAKER_20: To decarbonize our energy supply. We met rps goals and we continue exploring
SPEAKER_20: emerging technology
Unknown: We supported the growth of clean distributed energy resources by our customers
SPEAKER_20: We saw about a 12 growth in that area
SPEAKER_20: And our incentives and programs
SPEAKER_20: Um in the way of electrification reduced ghg emissions
SPEAKER_20: The increase there is about 23 percent year over year
SPEAKER_20: again moving
SPEAKER_20: fossil fuel vehicles and fossil fuel use in homes over to
SPEAKER_20: our electricity
Unknown: Last but not least here our community impact plan continued to reach out into under resource communities
SPEAKER_20: really providing
SPEAKER_20: The the the means necessary to also come along in the the clean energy transition
Unknown: As we go through this slide deck here, we'll we'll dig a bit deeper into each one of these topics
Unknown: Now first let's take a look at how we did with regards to expanding our clean utility scale project pipeline
Unknown: First
SPEAKER_20: We met the 2024 44 rps standard a statutory requirement by the state of california
Unknown: And we're well on our way to meeting the 52 standard by
SPEAKER_20: 2027 and well into the 60 standard by 2030 and we know as part of our zero carbon plan. We want to do much more
Unknown: And the list below kind of gives us a an indication of the progress to date
Unknown: And since the minting of the zero carbon plan in 2021 we've either brought online or added
SPEAKER_20: about 1700 megawatts of resource
Unknown: that is
SPEAKER_20: 170 percent
SPEAKER_20: Compared to what we had done the previous two decades and half the amount of time, right? So
Unknown: Really speaks to the amount of progress going on in this area and i'm sure
Unknown: Uh board of directors all kind of feel that right you're seeing john. Olson show up
SPEAKER_20: Seems like every month right with the new project. So
Unknown: A couple projects to point out here salano four came online a number of the board members were at the ribbon cutting for that project
SPEAKER_20: that project repowered phase one
SPEAKER_20: Increasing generation at that for that phase by about 10 times
SPEAKER_20: So went from 30 000 megawatt hours to about 300 000 megawatt hours using using latest wind technology
SPEAKER_20: Bigger turbines more efficient that sort of thing
Unknown: I also mentioned the kasuma's power plant retool project
SPEAKER_20: Director power gen josh langan langan presented that project back in april
SPEAKER_20: That project allows this gas plant to be more flexible
SPEAKER_20: Allowing more renewable generation on the grid
SPEAKER_20: Reducing fuel use by an equal amount of about seven million dollars a year in commodity and reducing emissions by about
SPEAKER_20: by about
SPEAKER_20: 100 000 metric tons annually
Unknown: So as we get into 2026 would be good to see how that project contributes to greenhouse gas reductions in the the portfolio
Unknown: Looking forward we have the hatchet ridge wind project shasta county project
SPEAKER_20: existing
SPEAKER_20: Wind out there that we took over in a power purchase agreement
SPEAKER_20: December 31st that joins the portfolio here in a matter of weeks
Unknown: And much more right this list is is pretty extensive again. We've committed to about 1700 megawatts
SPEAKER_20: All told on this list including the sutter carbon capture and sequestration project. That's currently under evaluation
SPEAKER_20: It's about 2500 megawatts here on this list. So a lot of progress in this area
Unknown: Now let's take a look at how our customers expanded clean distributed
SPEAKER_20: Resources at homes and businesses as well as how they participated in our load flex programs
Unknown: On the solar side our customers added about 35 megawatts of distributed solar
SPEAKER_20: Increasing relative to 2023 by about 11 percent and that's been pretty typical the last four to five years
Unknown: On the storage side supported by our storage incentives and programs
SPEAKER_20: We saw this area grow by 81 percent year over year adding about 9.2 megawatts
SPEAKER_20: In that area
SPEAKER_20: That's that's the biggest growth year over year that we've seen in that that area the the portfolio
Unknown: On the customer flexible demand program side of things, of course, these programs are important
SPEAKER_20: They allow us to move load around and maybe away from the very peak hours of the year where prices are high and also
SPEAKER_20: The carbon intensity factor is also high such that we can move demand off of those hours
SPEAKER_20: We can reduce costs but also associated emissions from these programs
Unknown: And here we're talking about my honor my energy optimizer partner and partner plus
SPEAKER_20: our aclm air conditioning load management program peak conserve
SPEAKER_20: as well as our
SPEAKER_20: commercial power direct program
Unknown: So in total here, we we've seen a 32 percent increase year over year
SPEAKER_20: bringing the total
SPEAKER_20: Participation capacity to about 55 megawatts. So a lot of growth in this area
SPEAKER_20: And if we think about it another number of these programs led by rachel long steam here
SPEAKER_20: We're just initiated after the zero carbon plan, right? So it's good to see these things getting off the ground here
Unknown: Now on the electrification side of things our goals here to reduce
SPEAKER_20: about 1 million 365
SPEAKER_20: thousand metric tons of ghg through incentives and programs
SPEAKER_20: to electrify buildings and vehicles in the region
SPEAKER_20: by 2030
Unknown: On the building side of things all electric equivalent all electric homes grew by
SPEAKER_20: approximately 35 percent
SPEAKER_20: year over year bringing total emissions saved to
SPEAKER_20: just under 110 000 metric tons
Unknown: On the transportation side of things, of course, this is very important
SPEAKER_20: It presents a real big opportunity for us to have material impacts on
SPEAKER_20: Local air quality but also greenhouse gas emissions
SPEAKER_20: transportation
Unknown: Emits up to 60 to 70 percent of local emissions here in sacramento
SPEAKER_20: So very big opportunity for us to switch folks from gasoline to clean electricity in these vehicles
SPEAKER_20: EVs grew by about 35 percent as well bringing total EVs at the end of 2024 to just nearly
SPEAKER_20: 62 000 vehicle vehicles
SPEAKER_20: Reducing emissions in the region by nearly 200 000 metric tons. So year over year, we saw about a 23 percent increase
SPEAKER_20: In greenhouse gas saved from these efforts
Unknown: On the community side of things, of course, this works led out of jose bedepo members team, but also brandy bolden's team
SPEAKER_20: Through our community impact plan our sustainable communities initiative as well as our income qualified offerings
Unknown: we're working to provide
SPEAKER_20: Education and outreach workforce development and programs and incentives in clean energy technology. So really
SPEAKER_20: Guided by the sustainable communities map here to make sure we're investing in the right individuals and the right communities that really need our our help
Unknown: Now through the community impact plan we
SPEAKER_20: provided over a thousand energy efficiency and electrification measures in the meadowview neighborhood
Unknown: And in 2024, we also
SPEAKER_20: received a
SPEAKER_20: congressionally designated
SPEAKER_20: spending grant
SPEAKER_20: Thanks to congresswoman doris matsui. It's a three million dollar grant also to be spent in 2025 in the meadowview area
Unknown: Things like electrification again and weatherization projects, so
SPEAKER_20: We'll be able to present on that a bit in
SPEAKER_20: 2026 for 2025
Unknown: Now our shine shine program awarded five hundred sixty three thousand dollars to 29 local nonprofits
SPEAKER_20: And our workforce development programs in partnership with over 45 community organizations
SPEAKER_20: These include the northern california construction training
Unknown: the kasoomis river college grid alternatives
SPEAKER_20: salvation army the california
SPEAKER_20: Conservation corps just to name a few to provide education and training
SPEAKER_20: to over 4,700 individuals
SPEAKER_20: And helped employ or upskill about 991 individuals. So
SPEAKER_20: Great job. They're really providing a
SPEAKER_20: an opportunity for a lifelong career in
SPEAKER_20: the energy field
Unknown: Last but not least our income qualified programs
SPEAKER_20: expanded
SPEAKER_20: evi electrification providing 304 ev circuits 216 ev chargers to income qualified
SPEAKER_20: customers as well as 31 solar pv
SPEAKER_20: Arrays and 19 battery storage systems as well
SPEAKER_20: So a lot of great work going on in the community through these efforts by our passionate teams here at smud
Unknown: And with that we're on the last slide here
SPEAKER_20: You know in 2024 we were in compliance with sd9 goals
SPEAKER_20: We continue to expand clean
SPEAKER_20: utility-scale
SPEAKER_20: renewable and storage assets and continue to look at emerging technology that could support
Unknown: the complete decarbonization of the grid
Unknown: We checked the box on the renewable portfolio standard for the year 2024
SPEAKER_20: Our electrification efforts continue to reduce emissions and buildings and vehicles
SPEAKER_20: Distributed generation continues to grow through our programs and incentives
SPEAKER_20: And we've improved access greatly to clean energy technologies through
SPEAKER_20: The various efforts we highlighted on the previous slide
Unknown: So with that i'd like to go ahead and ask the board to accept
SPEAKER_20: The staff's 2024 SD9 board monitoring report and be happy to answer any questions at this time
Unknown: Thank you brian any board members have any questions
Unknown: Yes
Unknown: Trying to formulate it brian thing I don't clearly see in this report
SPEAKER_18: is
SPEAKER_18: Showing us how you're going to meet the sd9 goal
SPEAKER_18: Right. It's it's completely looking backwards. Do you have any commentary?
SPEAKER_18: About that you have the the long list of everything in the pipeline, but it doesn't
SPEAKER_18: It doesn't summarize it or have a conclusion. I was just playing with the numbers. I think
SPEAKER_18: That long list is about 62 percent of our overall smud goal is included in that spreadsheet, which is a tremendous amount
SPEAKER_18: But but i'm not totally sure
Unknown: Yeah, so that sheet has approximately
SPEAKER_20: 2500 megawatts
SPEAKER_20: of projects listed
SPEAKER_20: Zero carbon plan identified the need for between 25 to 3500 megawatts depending on
SPEAKER_20: things like carbon capture and sequestration
SPEAKER_10: And how much of that you might get or maybe a new technology
SPEAKER_20: So those are kind of the swing variables that provide that range, but that's kind of where we're shooting between
SPEAKER_20: 2500 and 3500
Unknown: I would say it's something to think about maybe in the year's report is how you might
SPEAKER_18: Show that pathway and part of that's probably touching upon some of the 2030 updates that we've had throughout the year
SPEAKER_18: So just something something to think about
Unknown: Appreciate that yeah that story to us
Unknown: Yeah, we could we could we'll take that back and we can think about how we might incorporate that into the april
SPEAKER_20: Zero carbon plan update. Thank you. Thank you brand
Unknown: I hear a lot of um
SPEAKER_13: Maybe around connecting the dots a little bit more
SPEAKER_13: On these items and there's a lot of dots. There's a lot of dots to connect. Yeah
SPEAKER_13: Um, anybody else? Yes
SPEAKER_06: So, um
SPEAKER_06: You know, I I don't know that there's an answer to this question, but it is something that I think about
SPEAKER_06: a lot
Unknown: and um, it's the renewable portfolio standard
SPEAKER_06: now I know that we're ahead of the
Unknown: Um standard that uh has been set right it's
SPEAKER_06: 33 percent or is it higher? So 2020 was a 33 percent standard
SPEAKER_20: Uh, the next compliance period for ended just last year 2024 with a 44 standard. Okay
SPEAKER_06: So this is my question are are we?
SPEAKER_06: just uh working to
SPEAKER_06: You know meet that 44
SPEAKER_06: percent standard
SPEAKER_06: um
SPEAKER_06: because that's the standard and we're not
Unknown: We're not climbing up more and renewable stuff. We're trying to keep the cost down because it seems like
SPEAKER_06: With all the building that we've been doing and the agreements that we should have more than 44 percent
Unknown: Uh renewable energy. Am I missing something or yeah part of the the challenge that the early part of this decade has been
SPEAKER_20: project delays
SPEAKER_20: We have experienced quite a few country acres. For example
SPEAKER_20: I believe once it comes online will be about seven years
SPEAKER_20: From ideation. We thought that would be a four-year project, right? So
SPEAKER_20: Project development slowed quite a bit the early the early part of this decade
SPEAKER_20: What we've seen from reports by n rail and every project development in this decade takes about five to seven years
SPEAKER_20: previous decade
SPEAKER_20: about
SPEAKER_20: You know four to five years before that maybe two to three years. So there's a lot there's a lot of things are impacting schedule
SPEAKER_20: So that's one thing that's really
SPEAKER_20: impacting how we meet the renewables
SPEAKER_20: But we are shooting above rps
SPEAKER_20: It's just when a project is delayed. We have to go out and procure additional renewables usually in the way of short-term
SPEAKER_20: renewable credits to meet the standard while continuing to
SPEAKER_20: Prepare to to exceed the goals. Hopefully that helps
Unknown: Thank you
SPEAKER_13: Brian isn't it that we're not allowed in california to consider hydro is renewable. It's carbon free, but it's not renewable
SPEAKER_13: So if we added that on if we were allowed to it would be much higher than that
Unknown: Yeah with with the cec large hydro greater than 30 megawatts
SPEAKER_20: It's not it's not rps eligible
SPEAKER_20: So most of most of our fleet is above 30 megawatts
SPEAKER_20: So I say, you know about 20 percent adder on top of the renewable percent and that'd give you a rough range of like
SPEAKER_20: Carbon free percent carbon 65 percent carbon free right now
Unknown: Yeah, that sounds better than 44
SPEAKER_13: Yeah, I agree
Unknown: Last morning it was 78 percent carbon free. Yeah
SPEAKER_18: Yeah, yeah, that's a good amazing water here. Yeah. Yeah
SPEAKER_13: We pray for rain a lot around here. It helps
SPEAKER_13: It also keeps rates down. I think it's like an inch for every million dollars we save. Yeah the repairs
SPEAKER_13: Um, and we just added this year new geothermal. We just did that a few months ago
SPEAKER_13: So and of course i'm a huge fan of geothermal so hopefully we can find more of that out there
SPEAKER_13: um
Unknown: Country acres is going to be significant when that comes online and that'll be 20 27. Yep
Unknown: Yeah, and I was just at arc with with director herber we saw the smud
SPEAKER_13: workforce training program there and
SPEAKER_13: I went back and spoke to the students and they're very excited about getting into this industry
SPEAKER_13: But we can't electrify if we don't have enough people out there to electrify everything
SPEAKER_13: Um, so we're excited to do this workforce development programs locally
Unknown: Okay, any other questions we have public comment online
Unknown: All right, I should take the comments in the room first I guess yes, so i'm sorry. Thank you for raising your hands
SPEAKER_13: Um, yeah bruisey come on up to the mic
Unknown: Welcome
Unknown: You have three minutes. Thank you. Thanks. Um, so similar to what brandon said
SPEAKER_09: the overall scope
SPEAKER_09: um kind of I the one slide that was shown that showed the electrification
SPEAKER_09: um and the
SPEAKER_09: transportation electrification as a green bar chart
SPEAKER_09: The issue for me is that we see the top and we see the bottom
SPEAKER_09: But we don't know when the bottom is and so it's hard to evaluate the progress
SPEAKER_09: When you can't say we've done this much in this many years. All we can say is
SPEAKER_09: How much?
SPEAKER_09: ghgs have been because I can't tell if you're on on tap for achieving it or not with the way that's presented
SPEAKER_09: And then another thing on here is the again going back to vehicles
SPEAKER_09: Um in order to evaluate how we're doing with vehicles, we have a huge equity issue in that multifamily and
SPEAKER_09: People who don't have street parking have no access to the main benefit of electrification
SPEAKER_09: We need a map that shows us where the holes are and so that we can see
Unknown: Where smud needs to act?
Unknown: Um, so like a map that shows clusters of multifamily housing where the chargers are where the free chargers are
SPEAKER_09: Because you can't be sending people out to the airport to get free charging when they don't live near the airport. That's it's
SPEAKER_09: Unequitable. So a map that shows us where the holes are and where we need to go would be super useful
SPEAKER_09: Not just for smud but for the whole community
Unknown: And then on
SPEAKER_09: Electrification again context about like what policies are still in place with smud what rebates are still available
SPEAKER_09: Both at the state and federal level so that we can get some context when you say 35 percent
SPEAKER_09: Well, what's going to happen next year? For example?
SPEAKER_09: I know that we're talking about the past but
SPEAKER_09: Talking about progress when we know that we've had a huge setback with the with the end of that program
SPEAKER_09: It I mean you make it the report makes it sound like we're going to make all this progress
SPEAKER_09: But the truth of the matter is our progress is going to slow down without those rebates
SPEAKER_09: And that's not included in the report and to that I want to say
SPEAKER_09: At smud we need to think creatively about ways that we can do this without the feds, right?
SPEAKER_09: And we also need to touch on
SPEAKER_09: People that are not being touched by current programs and one of the thing one of the things that's a whole is financing
SPEAKER_09: I know it wasn't done in 2024. There was discussion about it then there's ongoing discussion about it
SPEAKER_09: But getting some sort of like on-bill financing would help fill one of those holes and I think would make your green bar
SPEAKER_09: Go up a little faster. All right, that's it
Unknown: Thank you so much rosie, those are great comments really appreciate it very thoughtful
SPEAKER_13: um
Unknown: Well, I guess shall we accept this report? I mean I feel like oh we've got a hand raised
SPEAKER_13: It looks like we have speaker online. Yes, we do have nancy huett
Unknown: Welcome nancy. We have three minutes
Unknown: Thank you actually this is rick codina oh hi rick. Yeah, you don't sound like nancy
Unknown: Yeah, well I don't
Unknown: Uh, I wanted to first uh express my appreciation to brian and his team
Unknown: Uh for seeking out and securing a diversity of sources out there
Unknown: of wind
SPEAKER_12: Solar angiothermal and we really need that diversity especially now given the the fog is suppressing
SPEAKER_12: Solar at least regionally
Unknown: um
SPEAKER_12: I
SPEAKER_12: Just wanted to ask a follow-up question. He mentioned the difficulty
SPEAKER_12: In delays of country acres being one project that's been delayed and you also have coyote creek
SPEAKER_12: Which will be very problematic because it's now a subject of litigation
Unknown: So my question is when you when you look at the interconnection queue you see a lot of projects there
Unknown: And a lot of them have gone through the necessary studies
Unknown: and
Unknown: some of us have talked to
SPEAKER_12: golden's golden state
SPEAKER_12: energy and we know that uh
Unknown: They they're thinking of a project down in wilton
SPEAKER_12: But i'm wondering to what extent
SPEAKER_12: are
SPEAKER_12: Are the local solar opportunities drying up?
SPEAKER_12: and does a lot of it have to do with tariffs or extra cost or
SPEAKER_12: What are the exact problems and and how does brian and others see the outlook for a lot of those?
Unknown: Unnamed projects that are in that interconnection queue. Thank you
Unknown: I don't think we can answer these questions because they weren't agendized. Is that correct?
Unknown: Yeah, laura lewis chief legal and government affairs officer
SPEAKER_11: We can't engage in an active discussion of those items
Unknown: Yeah, so maybe rick. I know you know brian and maybe you guys can have a meeting offline and
SPEAKER_13: You get the story
SPEAKER_13: Directly, but and in public we have to have items agendized if we're going to go into detail on certain topics
SPEAKER_13: That's correct. Yes. Yeah, we can follow up stuff. We can follow up with yeah, rick. I'm, we're happy to do that
Unknown: Thanks rick
Unknown: Do we have any other public comments?
Unknown: I don't see any other hands
Unknown: Okay
SPEAKER_13: Well, I was also impressed
SPEAKER_13: It seems like we're making real headway on our customer adoption of solar and storage in the batteries and I know we doubled
SPEAKER_13: the amount of the incentive for
Unknown: home battery storage and there's now five different brands of batteries on our website and
SPEAKER_13: So I hope people are taking advantage of those because that helps us store that solar when the sun is shining and
Unknown: When the sun is not shining we can feed the grid. So that really helps us even out those those curves on
SPEAKER_13: Production. Well, thank you so much brian and thank you really appreciate all the staff that worked on these programs
Unknown: Great. Thank you. Um, and with that we'll turn to agenda item number three
Unknown: Which is to discuss the monitoring reports for strategic directive 11, which is the public power business model
Unknown: Presenting that is our own depth. Steve linds who's our deputy
SPEAKER_13: General council and director of government affairs. Welcome steve. Thank you. Good evening. Steve linds deputy general council and director of government affairs
SPEAKER_19: I'm here tonight to talk about the sd11 monitoring report and recommend the board accept it. We are in compliance with
Unknown: SD11 and sd11 is the core value for smud
Unknown: it
SPEAKER_19: supports preservation of the public power business model and the local decision making
SPEAKER_19: That allows us to tailor solutions to meet the needs of our customers and communities and that um,
SPEAKER_19: My team's provided you with a really detailed st
SPEAKER_19: 11 report for your reference, but in the interest time tonight i'm just going to hit some of the highlights
Unknown: these next few slides, um
SPEAKER_19: touch on a few of the state legislative issues and i'd like to start with a bill that smud sponsored
SPEAKER_19: ab 881
SPEAKER_19: Was critical to the advancement of carbon capture and sequestration technology it established
SPEAKER_19: Regulations for the safe transportation of carbon dioxide
Unknown: by pipeline
SPEAKER_19: AB 881 had a companion bill sp 614
SPEAKER_19: Which ended up being the vehicle that ultimately was passed and approved by the governor and this was an incredible victory for
SPEAKER_19: The sutter energy center which you can see depicted on the right side of this slide
Unknown: In the next slide on the left another bill that smud supported ab 1207
SPEAKER_19: Extended cap and trade through 2024. I'm sorry 2045. It's now referred to as cap and invest
SPEAKER_19: smud along with other publicly owned utilities supported this bill because it retained the flexibility of the pou option
Unknown: But most importantly it did not make any proposals
SPEAKER_19: To reduce our allowance allocation amounts and that could have been an impact on smud of 20 to 30
SPEAKER_19: Million dollars a year now that issue has moved over to the carb
SPEAKER_19: Cap and invest docket. So we're watching that closely and we'll probably be back talking to you about that in the st 11 report for
Unknown: 2026
Unknown: On the right side of this page sp 541 was a bill that we opposed
Unknown: This bill would have required the cec to do two things first
SPEAKER_19: allocate load shifting targets to retail electric suppliers
Unknown: like smud and second standardized measurement methods
Unknown: To determine the value of demand reduction by time and location
Unknown: We provided several amendments to the author on this and we were not taken up on those. So we opposed the bill
SPEAKER_19: ultimately
SPEAKER_19: We asked the governor to veto the bill at the end of the day the governor did veto the bill citing
SPEAKER_19: the cost implement the cost to implement and the redundant and potentially disruptive
SPEAKER_19: nature of the bill
Unknown: The last legislative issue i'm going to touch on this year relates to western energy markets
SPEAKER_19: The board may recall that we're in eim the energy and balance market
SPEAKER_19: The board also authorized smud to participate in the edam market the extended data head market
Unknown: through bank
Unknown: The balancing authority of northern california the target go live date for that is around fall of 2027
Unknown: But what's most important to the stakeholders in expanding?
SPEAKER_19: The edam market is the independent governance across the edam footprint
SPEAKER_19: And you can see that the map here generally the footprint is the western united states and the stakeholders
SPEAKER_19: Really don't want to see california governance. They don't want to see the california iso
SPEAKER_19: in charge of that whole market
Unknown: So there's an effort called the west wide governance pathways initiative which created the three steps
SPEAKER_19: You see on the slide that first step was accomplished for the second step. We needed a california bill
Unknown: That would authorize the california investor owned utilities to participate in a market
Unknown: That was that had a regional organization other than the iso that bill was introduced this year as sp 540
Unknown: There were some poison pill amendments which unfortunately unfortunately forced us to oppose the bill
Unknown: That language was then moved to ab 825 by assembly member petri norris
SPEAKER_19: With at the end of the day with a lot of back and forth at the last minute
SPEAKER_19: It was approved and signed by the governor. This was a huge
Unknown: Win for the pathways initiative and then finally as you can see in the slide step three
SPEAKER_19: envisions a longer term process where future expansion of functions and services offered by
SPEAKER_19: the regional organization
SPEAKER_19: Created in step two will move forward
Unknown: Next slide is going to touch on some of the state regulatory. Yes in terms of of the pathways bill
SPEAKER_18: How did we feel the final bill language?
SPEAKER_18: Was it most of what we we supported but was it most of what we wanted do you think it will be effective in
SPEAKER_18: implementing
Unknown: That governance model. No, we think it will be and we think that the poison pills were moved in the second iteration of the bill
SPEAKER_19: So we're pretty much satisfied. I mean there are some
Unknown: um
SPEAKER_19: Some conditions that the iou's are gonna have to meet with the puc if they want to pull out and and and get in
SPEAKER_19: There's some but they're minor and we think it's fine
Unknown: Okay, this slide touches on some of the important regulatory issues that we've
SPEAKER_19: Addressed this year first the load management standard regulation in 2023 the cec adopted regulations
SPEAKER_19: That would have required someone to have dynamic
SPEAKER_19: Hourly rates in every single customer rate class
SPEAKER_19: We argued with uh the cec that we thought it made more sense to allow our board to decide
SPEAKER_19: Whether or not pilots and programs were a better path
Unknown: They agreed with us and they built that into the regulation. So smut adopted its load management
SPEAKER_19: standard
SPEAKER_19: Compliance plan and submitted it to the cec in november of 2023
Unknown: The cec got back to us and said, you know what we'd like to see some more analysis
SPEAKER_19: So we provided some more analysis, but we reached the same conclusion and that conclusion was that
SPEAKER_19: incorporating dynamic pricing
Unknown: Wouldn't really be cost effective or a prudent investment for our customers
SPEAKER_19: Especially since we have a successful time of day rate at this time
SPEAKER_19: So we've got to revisit this every three years, but in august of 2025 the cec unanimously approved our lms compliance plan
Unknown: Next advanced clean fleet not many people who want to worry about the cost of power or every every 60 minutes of their life
SPEAKER_18: Although there are some
SPEAKER_18: I'm going to point that out
Unknown: Well, we discovered in conversations with the staff about all our pilots and programs that yeah
SPEAKER_19: Most of our customers wanted simplicity
Unknown: They didn't there are some folks that want to play around with dynamic hourly prices and and the gadgets that might take advantage of that
SPEAKER_19: And the technology but for the most part, you know folks our customers weren't interested. So next advanced clean fleets
SPEAKER_19: um the first iteration of the regulation adopted in april 23
SPEAKER_19: required three market segments large commercial fleets
SPEAKER_19: public fleets and dredge trucks to
SPEAKER_19: Transition their medium and heavy duty vehicles to zero emission carb also
Unknown: Sought a preemption waiver from the usepa to enforce this rule, but in december of 2024
Unknown: They saw the writing on the wall and knew it wasn't getting it approved and they withdrew that waiver
Unknown: the problem with that was that around
SPEAKER_19: 90% 93% of the market was those private fleets
SPEAKER_19: So it's hard to create a or it's hard to make a market when you don't have a market maker
SPEAKER_19: So since then carbs initiated rulemaking that includes just the public fleets
SPEAKER_19: we continue to work with our public power partners and advocate for
SPEAKER_19: flexibility to respond to the changing market conditions and
SPEAKER_19: implementation challenges, but if you look on that slide you can see the initial
SPEAKER_19: Proposal was that we had to have 50 percent of our purchases be zero emission by 24 and a hundred percent by 2027
SPEAKER_19: That hundred percent has been pushed out to 2030. That's a huge help with that
SPEAKER_19: Change and a change to some of the mutual assistance
Unknown: Provisions and some other minor changes if everything goes perfectly
Unknown: And if Ford still makes pickup trucks, we think we'll be able to comply through 2030
Unknown: But after 2030, it's a whole new ballgame and we anticipate there's going to be issues with affordability and availability
SPEAKER_19: And we're just gonna have to cross that bridge
SPEAKER_19: when we get there
SPEAKER_19: Finally on this slide the state water resources control board issued a draft general order
Unknown: That was supposed to address operation and maintenance related to wildfire mitigation
Unknown: But they came out with an order that addressed 11 project activities and many of those project activities
Unknown: Really were just normal operation and maintenance poll replacements
SPEAKER_19: Vegetation management and so our staff looked at that and estimated there would be an additional
SPEAKER_19: 1500 jobs that we were going to work on that would have to comply with that regulation
SPEAKER_19: it would increase time it would increase cost and
SPEAKER_19: The estimate was around five to ten million dollars a year extra for that work
SPEAKER_19: So we are working with water the the resources control board staff
Unknown: We believe they actually don't have the authority to expand the scope to potential impact on water quality
SPEAKER_19: So we're working with them to try to narrow the scope. We expect a final rule in early
SPEAKER_19: 2026
Unknown: This next slide just a couple of federal issues. I know you're all familiar with our grip grant
SPEAKER_19: We were awarded a 50 million dollar grid resilience and innovation partnership grant in October of this year
SPEAKER_19: We received a letter from the DOE
SPEAKER_19: Terminating that grant it said hey pencils down
Unknown: And send us your your documentation for reimbursements
SPEAKER_19: So as of October 10th, which was the pen the ultimate pencil down date we had about 33 million dollars of reimbursements
SPEAKER_19: So on November 4th, we initiated an informal dispute resolution process asking for that 33 million and also actually asking that they restore the entire grant
Unknown: So we'll see how they respond to that request
Unknown: Depending on how they respond we may file a claim in the US Court of federal claims
Unknown: last issue on federal issues
SPEAKER_19: We are waiting for IRS guidance to come out on the energy tax provisions
SPEAKER_19: That implement the one big beautiful bill act OB 3 on that first bullet that you see there on the list
SPEAKER_19: We actually did receive guidance that guidance took away the 5% safe harbor for wind and solar projects
SPEAKER_19: It used to be that you could if you spent 5% of the budget right up front you could be in the safe harbor
Unknown: Now they have some language that says quote unquote physical work of a significant nature and it's all fact-based
SPEAKER_19: It's very vague and it's extremely difficult to get that credit
Unknown: the last two we're still waiting on guidance for foreign entities of concern and
SPEAKER_19: post 2025 domestic content requirements, but the prohibited foreign entities for that second bullet are
SPEAKER_19: China Iran Russia and North Korea and then the domestic content
SPEAKER_19: Requirements are obviously going to prohibit
Unknown: content from those entities in your project, so
Unknown: We're waiting on this IRS guidance all three of those together can have a significant impact on project cost and project
SPEAKER_19: Timelines and that's going to impact the renewable portfolio projects that we're developing for our 2030 zero carbon plan everything that you know
SPEAKER_19: Brian just talked to you about so we'll be watching that closely
SPEAKER_19: And with that I mean I've just been hitting the tip of the iceberg on all these issues
SPEAKER_19: And I'm happy to answer any questions if you have any
SPEAKER_16: Without last one we're not gonna be the only utility who is gonna have issues with
SPEAKER_18: Projects in progress like bringing batteries in from China is probably the biggest one
SPEAKER_18: That there's a whole slew of the industry that's it's in progress
SPEAKER_18: Especially just that it's taking five to seven years to build anything
Unknown: Yeah, it's gonna be a problem for all of us
SPEAKER_19: And I don't think we are gonna really know the impact until we have the details on exactly
Unknown: Like what percent of what content from which countries?
SPEAKER_19: And and whether or not we're able to get some relief on that
Unknown: And that's outside of just tariffs right 50 or 100% tariffs yeah
SPEAKER_19: Yes
Unknown: Thank you
SPEAKER_06: Wonderful report you all are doing so much
SPEAKER_06: I mean you didn't even talk about the local level and you know the government affairs activities there
SPEAKER_06: so
SPEAKER_06: Good work. I I did want to ask you it's more kind of a philosophical
SPEAKER_06: question, but it is embedded deeply in this
SPEAKER_06: Strategic directive and that is
Unknown: Doing things to promote and support public power
Unknown: What do you think smut is doing in that arena?
Unknown: to promote and support public power wow that is
SPEAKER_19: Well back to the SD all of this work that we're doing in all these dockets is trying to bring
SPEAKER_19: Control back to our local boards. I mean that's the whole purpose of that strategic directive is to instead of having
SPEAKER_19: Resources board or the any Commission or the Energy Commission?
SPEAKER_19: Prescribe exactly how we're going to do what we're going to do
Unknown: Instead letting our board decide have them give us a goal and let us decide
SPEAKER_19: How to get there and the decision on how you get there is different for every jurisdiction and every utility
SPEAKER_19: It's community specific and so I think
Unknown: Really, that's the whole purpose of what we're doing is to try to leave as much control with you as possible
SPEAKER_19: Instead of having the state agencies decide and tell us how we should do what we're going to do within our communities
Unknown: Thank you Steve
SPEAKER_13: I mean I see this in my day job all day where it just seems like the regulators are getting further and further off the rails and
SPEAKER_13: They don't understand affordability. They are not being conscious
SPEAKER_13: I don't even know if most of them have been in private sector knows what it's like to make payroll have a budget
SPEAKER_13: I've worked in the state so I can say that
Unknown: But it really worries me because we are not going to be able to do these projects
SPEAKER_13: If they keep just ratcheting up requirements and like for the clean fleets
SPEAKER_13: I can tell you even in the garbage business that I'm in my day job nobody could we couldn't even buy them
SPEAKER_13: They don't even exist the trucks don't go up hills like in San Francisco or in the mountains
SPEAKER_13: They're not able to hear carry those heavy loads and you can't require people to buy things that literally aren't on the market yet
SPEAKER_13: Or aren't working
SPEAKER_13: so
Unknown: Yeah
SPEAKER_13: I hope I'm really appreciative of all the work that you've done to protect our public power business model
SPEAKER_13: And I still don't know how the people of Sacramento County had the foresight to annex us
SPEAKER_13: I basically pull ourselves out of the PG&E territory back in the 20s
SPEAKER_13: It took us 20 years of litigation to be able to run this operation
Unknown: But we've got to protect it and I know that we also do the we have support staff for how many
SPEAKER_13: community choice aggregators now, I think we're
Unknown: Which are also a version of more public power model
SPEAKER_13: Seven seven. Yeah run by chief customer officer. So yeah
SPEAKER_13: Thank you for all it may be next year that could be added to the program because that really does support public power model
SPEAKER_13: I think quite a bit that
SPEAKER_13: CCA staffing
SPEAKER_19: Appreciate it. Just one fact that I forgot failed to mention on advanced clean fleets
SPEAKER_19: they complete switch out of our fleet to to comply with the regulations before they pushed out to
SPEAKER_19: 2030 was about a hundred million dollars. So that's you know, five six percent of a rate increase now
SPEAKER_19: We have some of those goals to electrify our fleet anyway in the 2030 zero carbon plan
SPEAKER_19: But now you've got a good point. There's it definitely translates to rates
Unknown: Well, and we just found out last night that what we're at forty nine million dollars of outstanding debt from our customers right now
Unknown: People can't pay their bills and we're fifty two percent below PG&E. So
SPEAKER_13: Thank you for all you're doing for us a lot of good work and
SPEAKER_13: We'll go ahead and accept the report looks like unless I have public comment. I
Unknown: Didn't see any I don't see any hands
SPEAKER_11: Maybe guess wait one minute
Unknown: Yeah, I don't see any hands from a remote participants. Okay hands. Thank you. Thank you very much Steve. Appreciate it
SPEAKER_13: Okay
Unknown: So now we will move on to item number four which is to discuss approving and ratifying the submittal of smuds grant
SPEAKER_13: Application to California Department of Fish and Wildlife for the sport fish restoration act boating access
SPEAKER_13: To for Rancho Seiko Lake invasive mussel prevention grant. That's a mouthful
SPEAKER_13: So we'll go ahead and turn it over to James Frazier our director of research and development grants and partnerships. Thank you James
SPEAKER_13: So I really appreciate you reading that the the purpose that we're here tonight is to ask
SPEAKER_00: For approval to accept this grant as required by the funding agency
SPEAKER_00: And so there's there's some specific language that we need and that's that's very useful
SPEAKER_00: This particular grant before I jump in just really quickly because I only have one slide and it's gonna be very short
SPEAKER_00: I just want to acknowledge how exciting it is to hear work from folks like Emily that are talking about the grants that we've delivered and
SPEAKER_00: Seeing the dollars that we talk about from small opportunities like this going from award
SPEAKER_00: To actual community impact and bringing this value to the Sacramento region and that's that's very fulfilling for the type of grant work that we're talking about here
SPEAKER_00: Golden mussels are an invasive species that has recently began spiking in California and is a significant risk to our waterways
SPEAKER_00: And to the extent that it is also a significant risk to those waterways
SPEAKER_00: It is a significant risk to the hydroelectric systems that are integrated with those waterways
SPEAKER_00: Earlier this year we were awarded
SPEAKER_00: $91,000 for
SPEAKER_00: boat cleaning equipment to help protect the the Rancho Seiko lake so that boats can be cleaned and and hopefully sterilized before
SPEAKER_00: being docked into that water to prevent golden mussels from
SPEAKER_00: In invading that space the lake itself hosts a hundred thousand visitors annually and about
SPEAKER_00: 450 boat launches per year and so this this slide and this request is to allow us to accept that
SPEAKER_00: $92,000 $91,160 so that we can purchase that boat cleaning equipment and protect our waterways
Unknown: We've already been awarded the grand chains and all you need is our permission to accept it. I just need you to say yes
Unknown: We've never said no to money so I think we're okay with that
Unknown: Any other comments besides yes, okay
SPEAKER_13: Yes, no public comments. I would just say one thing. You know, I've got a house up in Tahoe and these muscles
SPEAKER_13: It's a real thing and I still we've talked about this in the pre brief
SPEAKER_13: But I am not sure anything will stop them from coming in if we do not stop people from dropping in boats from other
SPEAKER_13: waterways
SPEAKER_13: So I yes, of course, let's do this but I still worry that someday we're gonna have to deal with remediation anyway
SPEAKER_13: Because I just watch a lot of people try to get around the system and they use their paddle boards and everything and they
SPEAKER_13: Don't clean them properly. So
SPEAKER_13: Hopefully I'm wrong or we find a way to just rent boats or something
SPEAKER_13: so yay, we'll say yes to the money and
Unknown: Good job on the grant. Do we have anybody online? I
Unknown: Don't say anybody no. Okay, you're good. Okay. Thank you again James. Appreciate it. Okay. So with that
SPEAKER_13: It's item number five and this is to allow the board members an opportunity to discuss the committee memberships and chairs for
SPEAKER_13: 2026 and this will be presented by
SPEAKER_13: 2026 vice president Rob Kurth, thank you
Unknown: The incoming president director tomorrow asked me to present this to you. I'm excuse me vice president tomorrow
SPEAKER_02: And so the committee assignments that he has worked out presumably in consultation with everyone
SPEAKER_02: I know it was with me too is for the four main committees strategic development
SPEAKER_02: Proposed chair is Heidi Sanborn vice chairs Rosanna Herbert
SPEAKER_02: Committee member Greg Fishman who's rotating back into committee membership as he gives up his presidency
Unknown: The policy committee would be Rosanna Herbert's chair Brandon Rose as vice chair and
SPEAKER_02: Rob Kurth as committee member
SPEAKER_02: Finance and audit Brandon Rose would be chair
SPEAKER_02: Nancy Bowie Thompson is vice chair and Rob Kurth as the committee member and
SPEAKER_02: Lastly the energy resources and customer service committee would chair would be Nancy Bowie Thompson
SPEAKER_02: Vice chair Greg Fishman and committee member Heidi Sanborn and so those are the proposed
SPEAKER_02: Assignments is there any discussion on that?
SPEAKER_02: I'm good with mine, and I would just think Crystal and the staff for doing some crawling
SPEAKER_18: I'm fine. I hear no objections any objections would result in more assignments. So I
Unknown: Expect we won't hear any
Unknown: Then we shall stay quiet with that then and accept the assignments. Thank you so much appreciate that
Unknown: Okay, so now we will move on to and do we have any public comment. I should have asked so no we don't okay
Unknown: So we'll move on to agenda item 6 which is the board work plan and this will be presented by President Fishman
Unknown: We do have a couple of things coming up in January
Unknown: The Finance and Audit Committee has a few things on the agenda our internal audit services report
SPEAKER_03: typical financial results for the month and supply costs and then
Unknown: We have some residential assistance weatherization and electrification contracts to talk about
SPEAKER_03: Policy is GP 5 election of president and vice president
SPEAKER_03: GP 6 role of the board president and GP 9 board committee chair, so we will go over our own governance policies on
SPEAKER_03: January 14th and
SPEAKER_03: There's something about a commendation resolution on the board meeting on the 15th, I don't know what that's about
SPEAKER_03: And then we'll let Dave pick it up from there
SPEAKER_03: But if there's anybody with a burning thought about something that needs to go in the parking lot or something we'd like to agendize
SPEAKER_03: at a future meeting we can
SPEAKER_03: Certainly talk about that
Unknown: Seeing none I'm done
Unknown: Thank you almost you get one more night
SPEAKER_13: Okay, so unless we have public comments no we don't okay so with that
SPEAKER_13: We've wrapped up the meeting except for public comment for items not on the agenda and we have several
Unknown: People in the room have requested to speak for items not on the agenda, so I'll go ahead and start with Tim
SPEAKER_13: Washburn can please come up
Unknown: And I just want to thank the public for coming we always appreciate public engagement, thank you for being here
Unknown: Members of the board my name is Tim Washburn. I'm here on behalf of
SPEAKER_16: Third Act Sacramento bunch of retirees
SPEAKER_16: working on climate and democracy issues
SPEAKER_16: I'm here tonight to talk about Coyote Creek I
SPEAKER_16: Attended a meeting yesterday over in McKinley Park
SPEAKER_16: with 250 people who showed up last night
SPEAKER_16: Totally energized and these are your most ardent supporters of green energy and public power and
SPEAKER_16: they are outraged by the Calleary Creek project and
SPEAKER_16: Notwithstanding the board approval that occurred earlier
SPEAKER_16: this year or last month
SPEAKER_16: they are plotting the steps ahead and
SPEAKER_16: There are many, but I'll highlight at least three
SPEAKER_16: One of them is the expectation that we will challenge the legal adequacy of the EIR in
SPEAKER_16: Court I think Shawn may speak to that when he comes up
SPEAKER_16: The second is we expect to contest the numerous state and
SPEAKER_16: federal environmental review and permit requirements that are yet to be met on the project and
SPEAKER_16: We can imagine that these steps will continue the delay that shows up in your spreadsheet tonight
SPEAKER_16: no date certain on when this project may ever be ready and could well be that it
SPEAKER_16: extends out beyond even your 2030
SPEAKER_16: ZCP deadline
Unknown: the third was
SPEAKER_16: Our expectation that we will join that small band of smud watch
SPEAKER_16: Project 350 folks David Wright
SPEAKER_16: Riccadino and others
SPEAKER_16: to observe proceedings here before the board and
Unknown: I would assure you that anyone who
SPEAKER_16: Including myself who takes on this responsibility has great respect for the work of smud what you're doing with clean energy
SPEAKER_16: big supporters of
SPEAKER_16: Public power we understand you sort of stumbled into this Coyote Creek agreement
SPEAKER_16: That there wasn't a lot of vetting of the environmental costs of the project
Unknown: The only hint that we have of it of course is desri negotiated with you a virtually unlimited time frame
SPEAKER_16: for getting through the environmental review and permitting process despite a date certain for
SPEAKER_16: Project delivery so they have as much time as it may take
SPEAKER_16: To get through the environmental review and permitting process before you could say anything about their failure to perform
Unknown: Okay, we understand that during this period of course you've been
SPEAKER_16: Neutral we don't comment nobody says anything about this project pro or against
Unknown: Nothing about the need for the power versus the environmental cost we get that
SPEAKER_16: We're going to be here with our
SPEAKER_16: Friendly watch people to ensure that you maintain that neutrality
Unknown: So that if desri happens to come to you looking their environmental
SPEAKER_16: Review and permitting wounds and wants to change the price structure of the contract you're neutral no
Unknown: You took the risk
Unknown: You knew what you were getting into
Unknown: If you can't make this project work for the price we agreed to that's your problem not ours
Unknown: I
Unknown: Appreciate I should say appreciate you being patient and waiting to the end
SPEAKER_13: Tom
SPEAKER_13: Benedetto Bernardo, sorry
Unknown: Please come up
Unknown: Is there any affiliation if you're affiliated with anybody
Unknown: Yes
Unknown: It wasn't written down so I can write it down. Good evening. My name is Tom Bernardo
SPEAKER_01: I was born and raised in Sacramento County. I'm a resident and a smud customer
SPEAKER_01: I'm testifying today and proposed Coyote Creek
SPEAKER_01: 500,000 solar panel project
SPEAKER_01: My retired State Park Ranger and Park Superintendent. I have worked at Prairie City SVRA
SPEAKER_01: My organization the California State Park Rangers Association established in 1964
SPEAKER_01: voted unanimously at our annual general membership meeting last September to oppose this project
Unknown: Why?
Unknown: The AIR has very serious environmental and cultural protection flaws
SPEAKER_01: It even states that the project will result in extensive and permanent view shed damage to the park
Unknown: 2.66 million dollars has been set aside by the developer for mitigation to the park
Unknown: Mitigation by definition is the action of reducing the severity
SPEAKER_01: seriousness or painfulness of something is a red flag
SPEAKER_01: This project is unacceptable
Unknown: Local Native American tribes have testified at public meetings. They are opposed to the project they have been not they've not been taken seriously a
Unknown: large contingent of prominent OHV recreation organizations and
SPEAKER_01: Conservation organizations have banded together to oppose this project
Unknown: the first
SPEAKER_01: Tree medication plan to replace thousands of mature black blue Oaks
Unknown: Lost at a one-to-one ratio with seedlings and then open the area the cattle and sheep grazing is preposterous
Unknown: The
SPEAKER_01: Project was proposed by a group of 55 landowners and a solar development company based in New York City
SPEAKER_01: Who will each benefit in millions of dollars of smud?
SPEAKER_01: Customer revenue and at the end of the project be set up for a large housing development
Unknown: Smud approved a power purchase agreement with the developer in 2021
Unknown: The project was supposed to be up and running by December 2023
Unknown: But extensive delays for mitigation have resulted in easements and environmental permits
Unknown: outstill outstanding
Unknown: Smud's original PPA was flawed and embarrassingly short on environmental considerations
Unknown: Every group I mentioned unanimously supports alternative energy projects including solar
Unknown: Except this one the right technology at the wrong location
Unknown: protect our state parks
Unknown: protect our environment
Unknown: Listen to the late Native Americans the ancestral stewards of these lands stop this project
Unknown: Thank You Tom for your comments
SPEAKER_13: Rosie I believe you wanted to come up but speak on this as well
Unknown: So
SPEAKER_13: Rosie Yakub with 350 Sacramento
Unknown: Hi, yeah
SPEAKER_09: So my understanding is that after approving this project
SPEAKER_09: Smud has now dedicated itself to not doing a similar thing again by making
SPEAKER_09: Future projects that are not smud projects, but are contracted projects
SPEAKER_09: Subject to the same environmental quality standards and vetting beforehand
SPEAKER_09: I say if we have an opportunity to also do it for this project. Let's do it, right?
SPEAKER_09: so if so first of all
SPEAKER_09: With this project if there's any changes in the contracting like there's a request the public needs to be notified
SPEAKER_09: We need to know that there's an opportunity to stop this thing
SPEAKER_09: number two
Unknown: We feel that I feel that there should actually be
Unknown: A public hearing if there is a proposed
SPEAKER_09: Recontract because of pricing or anything else perhaps there, you know the 2023
SPEAKER_09: Failure to perform should be reconsidered. It's considered if possible and that gets to my next point
SPEAKER_09: Really asked legal staff where we are with this thing. What are the implications of?
SPEAKER_09: Of either denying the contract as it is because the time period under which it was supposed to be constructed
SPEAKER_09: has gone past
SPEAKER_09: and if not if they come back and ask for for
Unknown: More because the costs have gone up then consider whether the contract
Unknown: Has to be renegotiated and then it would be subject to smud's new policy
SPEAKER_09: Which would prevent it from going forward?
SPEAKER_09: and
Unknown: then also
SPEAKER_09: Consider that you do have
SPEAKER_09: 1370 megawatts in five locations in your interconnection queue. This is not smud's last chance
SPEAKER_09: To get to be all renewable
SPEAKER_09: That's it for me
Unknown: Thank you very much
SPEAKER_13: and
SPEAKER_13: Shawn worth
Unknown: Good evening. My name is Shawn worth. I'm representing environmental council of Sacramento today and our habitat committee
SPEAKER_14: And also I have some comments on my own. I was
SPEAKER_14: quite surprised to see the
Unknown: Environmental leadership agenda item today and I was hoping to speak on that
SPEAKER_14: Environmental stewardship I heard electric lawnmowers
Unknown: Gardens for pollinators, I mean you know
SPEAKER_14: I mean these are all good things, but the loss of the habitat that we're talking about in Coyote Creek
SPEAKER_14: You could do that for a hundred years. You wouldn't even come close
SPEAKER_14: We are in a forest ik province in this part of California. There are 36 in the world
SPEAKER_14: Those are the most biodiverse spots on the planet the most biodiverse habitat type in that most biodiverse area is
SPEAKER_14: Oak woodlands of which are going to be destroying an incredible oak woodland
SPEAKER_14: irreplaceable absolutely irreplaceable
SPEAKER_14: The approval at the board you can listen to the reasons that were given by the supervisors
SPEAKER_14: Had smud done their pre-screen had smud done their site visit and said
SPEAKER_14: We'll take a pass on this one. This would not have happened. So this biodiversity
SPEAKER_14: Devastation is a stain on smud. That's my comment for environmental groups my comment personally
SPEAKER_14: Every year I get five leaves green energy letters
SPEAKER_14: My house I've had a green energy account for 30 years for my rental properties for 25 years
SPEAKER_14: I love this program for a few reasons one is that I pay more so other people don't have to I like that because I can afford it
SPEAKER_14: I feel utterly and totally betrayed
SPEAKER_14: I want my money back if this is going to be something on that portfolio. I do not want
SPEAKER_14: I do not want
Unknown: Coyote Creek solar voltaic project on our portfolio where I had anything to do with paying for it. It's a complete
SPEAKER_14: opposite of what this program was about what I bought into what I paid into and it's just
Unknown: Whatever you have to do to remove yourself from this do it. It is an absolute stain on your reputation
Unknown: It got through the border super is because of the great reputation you have you're losing that now
Unknown: Thank you
Unknown: Thank you very much John do we have any other public comments
Unknown: Do you have some virtual comments
SPEAKER_11: Somebody's online access beauty by Brianna Chris Bennett is oh, okay. Sorry. It looks like beauty by Brianna might be first salon
SPEAKER_11: Hello, are you there and go ahead and speak if you're online
Unknown: Hi, my name is Brianna
SPEAKER_07: Found a resident of Sacramento today. I stand in strong opposition of the Coyote Creek solar panel project
Unknown: This meeting is about environmental leadership
Unknown: But you have failed to listen to the scientist
SPEAKER_07: environmentalist conservationists
SPEAKER_07: ecological lists and tribes
Unknown: And the community when we point out
Unknown: The irreversible damage it will do to our ecosystems local by
SPEAKER_07: biodiversity and natural resources
Unknown: If you speak of protecting biodiversity, but this project will destroy
SPEAKER_07: 1400 acres of some of the last remaining intake vernal poles and oak woodlands in the Central Valley
SPEAKER_07: It will kill over 3,000 blue Oaks many of which are hundreds of years old
Unknown: Just one blue Oak can house over thousands of species
SPEAKER_07: Your project will endanger already threatened species like the tricolored blackbird
SPEAKER_07: Burrowing owl vernal pull
Unknown: fairy shrimp and western spade foot
Unknown: You'll be getting rid of one of our biggest carbon sinks in the valley as someone who values the preservation of Sacramento
SPEAKER_07: I urge you to consider a less destructive
SPEAKER_07: Alternative if we cannot harness solar energy without sacrificing our old growth ecosystems
SPEAKER_07: What does that say for the future of green energy and smud's commitment to upcoming generations?
SPEAKER_07: I urge you to seek sustainable solutions that prioritize the preservation of our forests
SPEAKER_07: We must advocate future where renewable energy and nature can coexist
Unknown: One to one mitigation does not add up and it's your responsibility to fix your mistakes
SPEAKER_07: You cannot promise the protection of these ecosystems beyond our lifetime
SPEAKER_07: Restoring such diverse habitats will take centuries
SPEAKER_07: This unique environment must be preserved for both current and future generations in my short lifetime
SPEAKER_07: I have I have witnessed the devastating effects of deforestation in Sacramento
SPEAKER_07: I'm not kidding South Sacramento North Sacramento our forests are being torn down
SPEAKER_07: I've seen animals struggle often returning only to face starvation. I have spent
Unknown: The very little free time I have to advocate for a remaining oak forest and I shouldn't have to fight for something
SPEAKER_07: That's so essential. We have so little left. You have to find a better way
SPEAKER_07: We are standing strong as a community the city of trees. Please consider our plea healthy ecosystems bring healthy communities
SPEAKER_07: Let's work together to protect the ecosystems that define our region
Unknown: Thank you
Unknown: Thank you, Brianna
Unknown: And who's next in the queue
Unknown: Chris Bennett is actually showing up my list at the top
SPEAKER_11: I
Unknown: Can hear me okay, we can
Unknown: Go ahead. Okay. My name is Chris Bennett and I'm a smud customer and a former resident of Rancho
SPEAKER_17: Marietta, which actually has one of these solar plants that this company that's bulldozing trees and Coyote Creek
SPEAKER_17: Built so I can tell you that it is an eyesore unlike some of the things that they mentioned there
SPEAKER_17: Now during this meeting there was a lot of talk about sustainability objectives like not harming local wildlife
SPEAKER_17: Preserving native ecosystems and respecting tribal and cultural resources, but this project flies in the face of all of those sustainability goals
Unknown: More than 3,400 old growth oak trees and many of California's native vernal pools will be destroyed for this project and that
SPEAKER_17: And the project itself does not appear to be necessary for smud to achieve your sustainability goals
SPEAKER_17: There's also a ton of shadiness behind the project and transparency and ethics are really important to maintain public trust
Unknown: Now I think the original plan that they had was so bad
SPEAKER_17: They actually had to do a revision on it
SPEAKER_17: And one of the things that they said they would do would be to bring in the sack tree foundation
SPEAKER_17: To plant a single acorn for every old growth oak tree that gets bulldozed and then monitor those saplings for seven years
SPEAKER_17: Now that sounds reasonable on its face
SPEAKER_17: But if you peel back the layers just a little bit you see that it's a very different story
SPEAKER_17: Once you once you're actually paying a little bit more attention
SPEAKER_17: So the first thing is that the political consultant that pushed this project through is
SPEAKER_17: Actually the sack tree foundations board president Michelle Smira, which is a severe conflict of interest
Unknown: another thing to consider is that it takes a minimum of 30 to 40 years for an oak sapling to reach full maturity and
SPEAKER_17: This solar plant will be decommissioned in just 35 years
SPEAKER_17: so that means that the project is going to be
SPEAKER_17: decommissioned before a single oak tree that gets planted in response to the
SPEAKER_17: Stred to the destruction is able to grow back which really doesn't make any sense
SPEAKER_17: Additionally an oak an oak sapling that gets planted as an acorn
SPEAKER_17: There's like a only like a 30 to 50 percent chance that it'll even reach maturity
SPEAKER_17: So seven years is just not enough time to monitor these saplings
Unknown: So I think the big thing to consider is that it's not too late to do something about it
SPEAKER_17: And I think the members of this mud board would gain a lot of goodwill from members of the public if you were to cancel
SPEAKER_17: approval for this project and stop it from taking place
SPEAKER_17: instead of forcing all kinds of people like us to jump on these calls and
SPEAKER_17: Complain and ask you to not do this thing if you do the right thing now and
SPEAKER_17: Make it so that coyote Creek is not going to get bulldozed
SPEAKER_17: Then you're gonna save yourself a bunch of time and money from lawsuits
SPEAKER_17: You're gonna make the public happy and you're also not even going to be having any negative impact towards your sustainability goals
SPEAKER_17: So in my mind it just makes perfect sense to just stop coyote Creek in its tracks and reverse the project and don't allow
SPEAKER_17: This horrific act of greenwashing and destruction of native habitats to take place
SPEAKER_17: So I urge you please do whatever you can to stop coyote Creek from happening
SPEAKER_17: And of course don't believe things that are coming out of the sack tree foundation when their consultant is also pushing forward the project
SPEAKER_17: Thank you
Unknown: Thank you for your comments do we have any other comments Elaine
SPEAKER_13: Cavas, sorry, babe, miss for Elaine. Can you hear us? Yes. Thank you. Please go ahead. Thank you
Unknown: Great. I'm a resident of Sacramento County going on 10 years and as many can speak on the Cody Creek solar project
SPEAKER_04: It was badly. Research is unsustainable and will permanently and irreversibly
SPEAKER_04: destroy the land
SPEAKER_04: Species including endangered species vernal pools and sacred tribal areas
SPEAKER_04: It will also permanently and irreversibly destroy the community trust in smud to operate in their best interests
Unknown: This project is incredibly short-sighted destroying 400 year old heritage oaks for projects slated to last
SPEAKER_04: About 30 years which I'm 35 and that's about the time. I'll be retiring
Unknown: It makes absolutely no sense
SPEAKER_04: You've discussed your work with the underserved community and that you care about the community impact
SPEAKER_04: But this project that ends one of the more accessible spaces for the disabled and the project was pushed through without proper
SPEAKER_04: comment or approval from the local tribes
SPEAKER_04: and
SPEAKER_04: You also discussed about how you listen to commute to customers on how they want their power
SPEAKER_04: but right now we're not being heard about
Unknown: not about where it comes from about
SPEAKER_04: This project not being what we want
Unknown: You're done yes, that's it. Thank you. Okay. Thank you so much for your comments and the last one is Rachel
SPEAKER_13: Rachel you can go ahead
Unknown: Rachel can hear us
Unknown: Rachel
Unknown: You can go ahead and speak Rachel if not we're at the end of our public comment period
Unknown: Can you hear me yes very good sorry about that no, thanks. Yeah, I
Unknown: Don't have anything
SPEAKER_08: Substantive to add that the other public commenters have haven't already said
SPEAKER_08: But I just wanted to add my voice in opposition to the coyote Creek solar project
SPEAKER_08: It does seem like a short-sighted
SPEAKER_08: greenwashing attempt
SPEAKER_08: I think you guys are better than that and the public deserves better than that
SPEAKER_08: and
SPEAKER_08: I think that you know, there's so much public opposition that it's safe to say
SPEAKER_08: You know, it won't
Unknown: Come to pass but it just
Unknown: It's up to you to
SPEAKER_08: Like
Unknown: Not turn this into a
SPEAKER_08: Giant knockdown drag-up fight, I guess so. Thank you
SPEAKER_08: Thank you very much Rachel. Are there any other comments? I do not see any more hands. No, okay
SPEAKER_11: So I want to thank all the public for providing their input. That's very, you know informative for us
SPEAKER_13: We always appreciate public engagement. So thank you for being here. Oh
SPEAKER_13: I'm sorry. I just want to make a brief comment. You know, we live in an era right now where
SPEAKER_03: political discourse usually just devolves into yelling and screaming and shouting and you know, even among families
SPEAKER_03: and I just want to say how much I appreciate the respectful tone the thoughtfulness the reasonableness and
SPEAKER_03: And the time it took for all of you to come here and deliver your comments are really appreciated
SPEAKER_03: I agree. I was listening to a city of Los Angeles meeting today and I've never heard so much swearing in my life
SPEAKER_13: It was terrible. So we really do appreciate you coming and being respectful. Thank you
SPEAKER_13: So with that written comments that were received on items not on the agenda will be included for the record if received within two hours
SPEAKER_13: At the end of the meeting and with that we'll have a reading of the summary of committee direction
SPEAKER_13: Staff will provide information related to the type of equipment that we have available
Unknown: Staff will provide information related to the type of equipment that we electrified
SPEAKER_11: Staff will include specific information related to what we're doing to support biodiversity and future SD7 presentations
SPEAKER_11: And then we'll look to include a pathway to 2030 in the April
SPEAKER_11: zero carbon report zero carbon plan report
Unknown: Okay, and then and
SPEAKER_13: Future monitoring items trained to tide dots together as best we can future and past. Okay, very good with that
SPEAKER_13: We'll call the meeting adjourned. Thank you
Unknown: you