How much greenhouse gas does American Canyon’s fleet of city cars produce?

Should the city’s planners be trained to offer advice on sustainability?Should the city endorse the U.S. Mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement, a policy handbook on climate change?

These are the questions the American Canyon City Council grappled with during a recent study session on global warming.

The City Council took on the matter at the same time as the Napa County Transportation and Planning Agency, which American Canyon Mayor Leon Garcia chairs, wants to coordinate countywide efforts to reduce greenhouse gases. The agency hopes each of the five cities in Napa County will adopt the U.S. Mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement.

Napa, St. Helena and Yountville have already endorsed the document published by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives, an international organization that focuses on sustainability issues.

In American Canyon, the agreement has its skeptics.

During the Sept. 25 study session, City Councilmen Ed West and Don Callison said the language in the mayor’s agreement is too vague and too political.

“It’s presumed science,” said West, who, along with Callison, questioned the scientific link between the emission of greenhouse gases and global climate change.

West said he wanted instead to invest in technology that’s cost-efficient and effective, referring to the environmentally friendly features in the Wal-Mart Supercenter, including skylights that reduce the need for electrical lighting inside the store and sensors that dim the lights when natural light is enough.

“What is the return on the investment (of environmentally friendly features)? asked West.

West said the city should set its own standards instead of buying into a “feel-good” political document.

Garcia and Vice Mayor Joan Bennett said they harbor little doubt that greenhouse gases affect climate change.

“There are a lot of things people can do in the city to save resources,” said Bennett, who noted she sets her house thermostat at 65 degrees Fahrenheit and does not use air conditioning.

During the discussion, Callison said he would prefer a practical approach, including training city planners on how to teach project applicants about so-called “green” building practices. Planners would be certified in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design - or LEED - a program by the U.S. Green Building Council, a nonprofit organization that promotes sustainable building design and construction practices.

Garcia later said he is not sure what the City Council will do next.

American Canyon Interim Planning Director Sandra Cleisz said the city’s planning department will begin evaluating the energy efficiency of proposed projects.

“We’re basically gearing up to meet the state requirements,” Cleisz said, referring to the implementation of AB 32, the bill Gov. Schwarzenegger signed into law a year ago to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.

Napa County already evaluates greenhouse gas emissions of proposed large projects, said Hillary Gitelman, head of the Napa County Conservation, Development and Planning Department.

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