Greenhouse gas reduction opportunities for local governments: a quantification and prioritization framework

The goal of this research was to present a decision-making
framework for greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation strategy selection for local
governments based on the development of life cycle GHG mitigation “supply
curves”. This approach offers the ability to combine the impacts and
cost-effectiveness measurements of numerous GHG mitigation options at the
same time. Life cycle GHG emissions accounting considers emissions
generated throughout the supply chain of a product or process, and also
typically considers system-wide or consequential effects on emissions as
well. Life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) were
the two methods used to quanitfy the costs and environmental impacts of
the strategies, respectively. Los Angeles (LA) County and Yolo County were
selected and the following actions for inclusion in GHG
mitigation supply curves for each county were selected: 1. Los Angeles
County chose to move forward with quantification of two strategies; a.
Transit bus electrification, which is being undertaken by Foothill
Transit, a transit agency that serves not just the unincorporated regions
of LA County, but also incorporated regions, and b.
 Implementation of alternative fuel vehicles for LA
County fleet 2. Yolo County chose to move forward with quantification of
six strategies; a. Emissions reductions from electricity as a result of
switching from PG&E to a community choice aggregation (CCA)
entity, Valley Clean Energy (VCE). b. Bike lanes connecting other cities
in Yolo County to Davis for employees not living in Davis. c. Changes to
start and stop, roundabouts, and speed limits in Yolo County affecting
vehicle fuel economy. d. Solar panel canopies installed for electricity
generation for electric vehicle charging and lighting on county parking
lots. e. Full depth reclamation versus conventional pavement
rehabilitation methods. This document summarizes the data for each
strategy.