Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Peak Oil Task Force topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Supervisors back one-year Peak Oil Preparedness Task Force to study municipal vulnerability
Summary
The Rules Committee endorsed a resolution to create a one-year Peak Oil Preparedness Task Force to assess San Francisco’s vulnerability to energy price shocks and recommend mitigations; the Department of the Environment and several community groups supported the effort.
Supervisor Merkurimi introduced a resolution to establish a one-year Peak Oil Preparedness Task Force to assess the city’s vulnerability to energy-price shocks and to draft a comprehensive municipal response plan.
"The price of oil per barrel was approximately $25 three years ago. Now it's anywhere between 70 and $85," Supervisor Merkurimi said, arguing that price volatility and the end of a period of cheap oil justify a dedicated task force. The proposal specified a one-year sunset and stated no new funding was required, with the Department of the Environment and volunteers providing staff support.
Department of the Environment staff said the task force’s work would align with climate-change and mode-shift initiatives, and speakers from environmental and grassroots groups urged attention to food security, community-choice aggregation and systemic energy planning. Several public commenters referenced Portland’s Peak Oil Task Force report as a model to inform San Francisco’s work.
Supervisors discussed whether existing commissions could accomplish the work; supporters noted the task force would broaden public input and focus on food-security and cross-sector impacts. The committee agreed to move the resolution forward with an amendment to ensure the Board—not LAFCO—has authority over the task force’s outcomes.
The resolution will go to the full Board for consideration.
