Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Clean Construction Ordinance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission backs stronger clean-construction rules for high-exposure zones
Summary
The commission approved a resolution supporting amendments to the city's Clean Construction Ordinance to require cleaner construction equipment in mapped air-pollution exposure zones, add monitoring and align requirements with CEQA, following a joint presentation from the planning department and public health.
The San Francisco Commission on the Environment voted to approve a resolution supporting proposed amendments to the city’s Clean Construction Ordinance, which would add requirements for cleaner engines and monitoring in mapped "air pollutant exposure zones." Planning Department staff and Department of Public Health representatives presented the update and explained its purpose: protect public health by reducing exhaust from construction equipment on public-works projects.
Wade Wickref of the Planning Department said the existing ordinance, adopted in 2007 and effective in 2009, applies to publicly funded construction projects longer than 20 days and has relied on contract specifications enforced by the relevant city department. He told commissioners staff collaborated with the Department of Public Health and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and used modeling to map areas bearing the highest burden from air pollution.
Wickref outlined the technical approach: update minimum engine standards for projects in the mapped exposure zones (moving from the existing tier‑2/VDEC requirements toward higher-performance control strategies where feasible), rely on verified diesel emission control strategies (VDECS) and biodiesel where appropriate, and add a monitoring plan to help city departments and the public confirm compliance. He noted that California Air Resources Board equipment ID stickers make it possible to check an engine’s tier and compliance online.
The presenter said modeling showed roadway sources are the primary driver of exposure patterns identified on the map and that the Bay Area fleet includes a mix of engine tiers; while cleaner engines increasingly account for a greater share of use, immediate blanket requirements for the newest tier levels (tier‑4 interim) were judged not feasible because much construction equipment remains older.
Supporters said the update aligns the ordinance with CEQA practice and should reduce time and cost for project-level mitigation by establishing regulatory requirements up front. Commissioners moved to approve the resolution and the motion passed by voice vote with no recorded opposition.
The resolution and supporting materials emphasize monitoring, feasibility and coordination with enforcing departments; the commission did not specify additional compliance staff at this meeting, and enforcement will remain through existing contracting and department enforcement mechanisms.
