Memorandum

City of Lawrence

City Manager’s Office

TO:	David L. Corliss, City Manager
FROM:	Cynthia Wagner, Assistant City Manager
CC:	Peak Oil Task Force Diane Stoddard, Assistant City Manager
DATE:	December 23, 2009
RE:	Peak Oil – One Year Status Report

At the August 12, 2008 City Commission meeting, following a presentation by the Sustainability Action Network (SAN), the City Commission directed staff to work with the Mayor, members of the SAN and Sustainability Advisory Board (SAB) to determine the best course of review for this issue.  Discussion resulted in a recommendation to establish the Mayor’s Task Force on Peak Oil, which was established by the City Commission September 2, 2008 by Resolution 6795. 

The function of the Mayor’s Peak Oil Task Force is to develop a response plan in active consultation with the community that will address both a sudden crisis-related reduction of fossil fuels and a long term depletion of fossil fuels.   The task force was tasked with:  assessing Lawrence’s exposure to diminishing supplies of oil and natural gas and making recommendations to address vulnerabilities; seeking input on negative impacts of peak oil and proposing solutions; acquiring and studying data on the issues of peak oil and natural gas depletion and the related economic and societal consequences; developing recommendations regarding strategies the City can take to mitigate the impacts of declining energy supplies; developing an emergency plan, if deemed appropriate; and proposing methods of educating the public about peak oil.  It was also envisioned that the task force would also coordinate with existing boards, commissions and task forces studying environmental issues.

Resolution 6795 requires presentation of a final report to the City Commission no later than 12 months from the initial meeting.  If a final report is not complete, a progress report including a timeline for completion is to be presented.

The initial meeting of the task force was January 20, 2009, with subsequent meetings on a monthly basis thereafter.  Many of the initial meetings were spent trying to identify the most urgent issues and format for a recommendation.  The task force also studied the work of similar groups in Portland, OR; San Francisco, CA; Austin, TX; Bloomington, IN; Oakland, CA; and Spokane, WA.  The group also conference called several communities with existing peak oil plans for information on the topics they studied and the plans they developed.  Resources have been archived, along with the work of the task force, on a webpage within the city’s website.

Following this research and ensuing discussion, it was decided to focus recommendations in the following areas:  

· Food Security/Agriculture

· Transportation

· Water Supply and Treatment/ Waste Disposal

· Land Use Planning and the Built Environment

· Emergency Services and Emergency Planning

· Other Energy Sources (non-petroleum)

· Communications and Outreach

The task force has begun to develop recommendations relating to the first two items and has developed a timeline for development of recommendations relating to the remaining items.  Based on this timeline, it is anticipated that final recommendations could be presented to the City Commission in the summer of 2010.

REQUESTED/RECOMMENDED ACTION

It is recommended that the City Commission receive this interim report on the progress of the Peak Oil Task Force and grant an extension of the work of the task force in order to present a final recommendation by August 31, 2010.