On May 6, officials from Oakland's sustainability office presented their draft Energy and Climate Action Plan during two sessions held at the state office buildings in downtown Oakland. About 40 people reportedly attended the first worksop (in the afternoon), while fewer than 20 attended the evening workshop that I went to.

Garrett Fitzgerald, the lead author of the plan, gave a brief overview of the approximately 150 actions that he and his staff have identified as necessary to carry through on the Oakland City Council's target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 36% below 2005 levels by 2020.

"This would be among the most, if not the most, aggressive plan in the country," said Fitzgerald. "Of course, there's a difference between setting a target and meeting a target."

The plan divides emissions reductions actions into three broad cateogires, which Fitzgerald calls "buckets": transportation and land use, building energy use, and material consumption and waste reduction. The plan also has chapters on community engagement, adapting to inevitable climate impacts, and ongoing implementation.

The workshops included vigorous small-group discussions about each of the above topics, though the crowd at the evening workshop was small and very much an "in crowd."

That points to the big hill this plan has to climb: It includes such incredibly ambitious goals as a 20 percent reduction in auto and truck trips in Oakland, a 33 percent reduction in electricity use, efficiency retrofits on fully half of all homes and buildings in the city, and a 90 percent reduction in solid waste disposal.

And that's all to meet the emissions reduction target that scientists with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) say is the minimum we need to achieve to avoid the worst impacts.

A brief response to the draft plan was distributed by members of the Oakland Climate Action Coalition, which includes a wide range of organizations pushing for a strong plan with social justice at its core. The statement, while praising the ambitions and hard work behind the plan, also said, "This first draft ... is missing an explicit social equity lens with consideration of race, class, and gender equity. ... And this plan should privde some framing of vision, goals, and principles, ... so that the document holds together as a single, strategic plan , instead of a long list of potentially unconnected actions."

Fitzgerald acknowledged the OCAC, which has convened major community meetings all over the city, as a critical force for public engagement so far. "Hopefully that momentum stays even after we adopt our nice piece of paper," said Fitzgerald. "We really need widespread community engagement: people talking to their families and friends. We're not just talking about the people who live in the hills and drive Priuses. We're talking about hundreds of jobs--how do we make sure those are happening in Oakland, that comaines are locating here?"

Those and many other questions about the Energy and Climate Action Plan are now up for public comment, through June 11.

Download a copy of the report and find out how to submit comments here: http://www.oaklandpw.com/Page879.aspx