Staff from California’s transportation, air, energy, and conservation agencies are moving forward on developing the Sustainable Freight Action Plan, which is due on Gov. Jerry  Brown’s desk in July. In a series of public workshops wrapping up Feb. 5, agency staff reviewed targets for improving goods-movement efficiency and proposals for transitioning to zero- and near-zero-emission technologies by 2030.

The interagency group also asked for input on the five corridor-level pilot projects attached to the action plan, including a facility for turning biomethane into RNG for trucks.
That proposed facility, a biodigestor to be built in the San Joaquin Valley, aims to capture naturally occurring biomethane from dairy farms scattered throughout the valley, clean it up for use in freight vehicles, and move it into the state’s pipeline.

“We could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from dairy sources and create an organic, renewable source of natural gas in California at the same time,” said Jerilyn López Mendoza, environmental affairs program manager at Southern California Gas Company, who has been tracking the plan’s development.

Most of the RNG used in California comes from out of state, she added. “I think one of the next big topics of conversation will be how we nurture the development of in-state RNG.”

Projects are intended to be transformational These freight pilot projects are key to the action plan. They were chosen from more than 50 ideas  based on their potential to transform California’s freight movement system. Each project must be scalable, integrate advanced technologies and alternative fuels, and offer local economic development opportunities.

Calling the ambition and scope of the action plan “unprecedented,” Mendoza said it
incorporates the major findings of the agencies’ separate plans—including the CEC’s Integrated Energy Policy Report, CARB’s Mobile Source Strategy, and the California Department of Transportation’s Freight Mobility Plan—and consolidates their efforts of the last two years.
“It’s natural that California would lead the way in looking at how freight movement impacts greenhouse gas emissions and human health,” she said. “The Sustainable Freight Action Plan could have a ripple effect on all of our North American trading partners, including China.”

Despite her support for the plan, Mendoza voiced concerns about funding for the significant changes in technology and efficiency that it lays out, as well as about enforcing statewide compliance for the entire freight transport system. She said the project requires a long-range perspective.

“How will the whole system evolve so that we reduce emissions and remain competitive in the worldwide global market? We won’t have the answers for another 10 to 15 years.”

The action plan components are outlined in the California Sustainable Freight Action Plan Public Workshop presentation.