Recommendation to request City Manager to direct Long Beach Airport (LGB) staff to develop a plan to lead the nation on sustainability for airports, to work with airlines serving LGB and other partners to become an incubator of clean tech in aviation, with goals of becoming a carbon neutral facility.
Thank you. Next up is going to be item number 14. Communication for Mayor Garcia, Councilwoman Mongo recommendation to request the city manager to direct Long Beach Airport staff to develop a plan to lead the nation on sustainability for airports. Thank you. So this is actually something that we've been discussing with the airport for many months. We obviously are very proud of our cleaner action plan that we have at our port. It's been a great partnership with both the Port of Long Beach as well as the Port of Los Angeles. And we have done some significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, as well as dramatically changed the relationship that the ports have with the environment and the surrounding communities. We also know, of course, that we have an amazing airport and we're very proud of the way they have moved forward on many initial initiatives around sustainability. But we also know that airports in aviation contribute to greenhouse gases through the burning of fuels, whether it's through aircraft, vehicle, equipment, traffic and energy use at our facilities. We have one of the best airports anywhere in the country, and the airport is very interested in moving forward on a a real a similar clean air type action plan that would be for our airport facilities. Aviation the aviation industry nationally accounts for about 11% of all transportation related emissions. And so it is a it is a big part of our ability to become a more sustainable city. And we know that many airlines are implementing a variety of carbon offsets, including Delta, United and JetBlue. And we're seeing that, of course, and have seen that in the shipping industry as well. We want to look for ways that our Long Beach airport can be carbon neutral on our ground operations, but also to partner with the airport or the airlines to go further. The Port of Long Beach has been a tremendous force in pushing the ship shipping industry to innovate, and our Long Beach airport can do the same thing. We've also had some initial conversations with the Air Resource Board, as well as with the AQ, M.D. and a variety of other agencies that are interested in in this project. We believe that our airport can be a model in sustainable airports across the country, and we think this is a great first step that would move this conversation forward. What we're asking for tonight and I want to thank Councilwoman Stacy Mango for supporting this and for being a partner in this project is we want to request a city manager to work with the airport to develop a plan to lead the nation on sustainability for airports and to work with airlines and other partners to become an incubator of clean tech and innovation. With goals are becoming a carbon neutral facility. To add to this recommendation, I'd also like staff to engage our Sustainability Commission as well as our Airport Advisory Commission as they begin this plan. Because I would like both commissioners to be involved in the development of of this new plan and whatever we end up calling it as a as a major initiative of the city. And so with that, I'd like to make that I'd like to make that motion. I'm sorry. I'd like to ask for that motion. I see that already is a motion and a second on that. And I'm going to turn this over to Councilwoman Mongo. Thank you. I really appreciate the mayor's support and leadership on this. It is a great time to be the city of Long Beach, especially in the aviation community. Our airport is a leader among leaders and we are constantly in the top numbers for enjoy ability and travel and tourism and having the best in many areas. And it's time that we start moving in the direction of being the most sustainable airport in America. And so this is a very exciting time. I look forward to working with the Airport Commission and the Sustainability Commission to move this agenda item forward. And I appreciate my council colleagues for their support on this important item. Councilmember Richardson. Thank you. And I concur. I mean, Long Beach, the port of Long Beach is really led in terms of being a clean, clean port in the city of Long Beach is an example in terms of its cleaning up the bay and the harbor and our air quality and the things we're doing around air quality leads leads the nation. So there's no reason why the Port of Long Beach, the airport, Long Beach Airport shouldn't make a similar statement. And so I support these steps and look forward to what's to come. Thanks. Thank you. Councilman Austin. Everything that they just said and I'd just like to to add that I think there there are obviously some great, great, great work, best practices that are already here in the city, as I mentioned, with the Port of Long Beach. And one area that I'd like to just emphasize that that be studied and I'm not sure if it's a friendly amendment or friendly is necessary on this, but the electric fixation of the fleet around the the the airport, I think, would be a great goal to strive for early to get to the. Sustainability goals that we want to get to. So I'm just going to throw that out there to for staff to also study that and look at the. The best way to achieve that as soon as possible. I don't know if we need to put standards on it like we have with our Clean Air Action plan, with the the the report, you know, but. You know, I think we have certainly. Put some ambitious goals together by 2025 and 2030. To have cleaner air. Standards at the port. I think we should be aggressive in this effort to promote sustainability at the airport, to at least put some some some benchmarks in place as well. And I would agree with everything the councilman just said. I think the fleet has to be a part of of of this master plan. I think that it certainly is the port. And so I know, as Mr. Romo is there, I just think you're hearing from the council that what we're looking for is a plan that is kind of as kind of aspirational as and ambitious as the cleaner action plan is and what that did for the ports port of Long Beach in Los Angeles. And I think for us in in Long Beach and our airport, I think we do have the ability to to produce and follow through on a plan that that could be a model for other airports. And I think that's what I'm certainly looking for. I know that's what Councilman Mango is looking for out of this plan as well. Sound good, Mr. Robot? Yes, Mayor and council. Members. Yeah. Well, obviously, we're we're very enthused about undertaking this review and coming back to the council to present what we believe would be a good plan moving forward. It will involve both staff that we have at the airport, as well as consultants, to really make sure that this is a robust and complete review of all the steps we can take to make this a a forward thinking and forward leading airport. Great. Thank you. Thank you very much. Council Member Pearce. I just wanted to echo the sentiments of the council and the mayor. I think that our port has done a wonderful job, our city as a whole. We have a sustainability plan and including the airport and thinking outside the box and pushing ourselves to vision the most we can do, even if we don't have a path to that. And a quick turnaround, I think would be wonderful. So have fun on this. I look forward to hearing it come back. Great. Thank you. Any public comment on this item, which is the Sustainability Airport item? Please come forward. Good afternoon, honorable mayor and council members. My name is Kobe Sky. I'm a second district resident and I'm proud to chair the Sustainable City Commission, very pleased to speak in strong support of the item before you. It's great to see the city take a leadership role on sustainability and this motion is a great step in that direction . And have you that have completed a carbon footprint analysis know that taking flights can really add up in terms of the impact on your carbon footprint? There's a lot that the airport can do to address it, including they already generate renewable energy on site. They can do more in terms of addressing waste that's generated on site. And really, biofuels are a tremendous opportunity to reduce carbon footprint and potentially reduce CO2 emissions that are generated. So I'm very pleased to play a role in supporting this item, anything that the Sustainable City Commission can do to help move this item forward, we're happy to do so and we'll look forward to supporting the report, working with the airport commission and with the council. Thank you so much. Thank you very much. Thanks, Speaker, please. Dave Shukla. Resident of the third. I'd like to speak in favor and gratitude. Of this agenda. Item, and thank you very much for bringing it forward. I look forward to a more. Robust public process around how this particular driver and sync and set of emissions and commitments of our city. Will play out in conjunction with our other. Statutory commitments. Thank you. Thank you. There's a motion in a second on this item, please. Members. Gordon, cast your votes. Council member, Urunga. Councilmember Richardson. Motion carries.