GHG-17: Carbon Neutral New Growth

The County will require that all new growth projects outside of the Urban Policy Area (UPA) or Urban Services Boundary (USB) must achieve carbon neutrality (i.e., net zero GHG emissions), and must demonstrate compliance with all applicable GHG measures in the CAP. The purpose of this measure is to ensure that new growth projects support the attainment of the County’s GHG reduction targets. Note: Net zero GHG emissions means emissions of GHGs to the atmosphere are balanced by removals of GHG emissions over a period of time; in this case, during project construction and operation of the proposed new growth project. This means that GHG emissions generated by project sources such as transportation, energy consumption, fuel combustion, industrial processes, water usage, waste generation, and land use change must be less than or equal to the amount of CO2 that is removed from the atmosphere over the same time period, both in natural sinks and through mechanical sequestration.

​Action Description: Upon adoption of the CAP, General Plan Policy LU-120, Measure PC-8 (Consistency with County adopted plan) was amended such that projects that propose expansion of the UPA and/or a Master Plan outside of the existing UPA must be planned and built in a manner that is consistent with the CAP and provides demonstration of carbon neutrality for projects seeking to amend the UPA and/or USB. General Plan policy LU-120, PC-8 now requires the following: Consistency with all applicable County adopted plans not sought to be amended by the proposed project. This includes the Climate Action Plan (CAP) and demonstration of carbon neutrality for projects seeking to amend the UPA and/or USB. Such development projects shall include all feasible on-site GHG and VMT reduction measures and may select off-site measures in the CAP. The off-site measures shall be subject to review and verification by the County or a qualified third party. Future development projects that request an amendment to the UPA and/or USB shall include a GHG analysis that calculates project GHG emissions during construction and full buildout and reduces these emissions to 0 MT CO2e through advanced project designs that incorporate energy efficiency, renewable energy generation, zero-emission modes of transportation, carbon sequestration and removal, and/or investments in initiatives with third-party validated GHG reduction benefits. The GHG analysis would also calculate the loss of existing carbon sequestration capacity of the proposed development project area. The combination of these analyses would take into account the loss of carbon sequestration, as well as the increase in GHG emissions associated with the development proposals. All future development projects needing an amendment to the UPA and/or USB would also be required to comply with all CAP consistency requirements by completing the Checklist or explain why certain consistency requirements are not applicable to the project. Under this requirement, new development outside of the UPA and/or USB would be permitted to purchase and retire GHG offset credits. GHG offset projects could increase or protect carbon sequestration, invest in solar or wind projects, improve water or energy efficiency, capture methane at animal farms or landfills, replace high-global-warming potential gas use with a gas that has a lower global warming potential, or implement other measures subject to quantification of the costs per metric ton of CO2e. This quantification shall be submitted by applicants for review and verification by the County or a qualified third party selected by the County. Any offset program approved by the County must include carbon offsets that are real, quantifiable, verified, additional, and permanent within the timeframe of the program or project. The offset program could allow for investments in GHG-reducing activities occurring outside of the County’s control. To achieve the greatest environmental co-benefits to the County, priority would be given, from highest to lowest, to offsets purchased from local projects in Sacramento County’s Environmental Justice communities, elsewhere within Sacramento County, regional projects (in the SACOG region), and projects within California’s Central Valley.