* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:01] VICE [CALL TO ORDER] [ROLL CALL] CHAIR SNO HERE. UH, CHAIR DUGGAN. HERE WE HAVE A QUORUM. GREAT. UM, SO CAN WE START WITH OUR FIRST ITEM, RECOMMENDATION TO [1. 23-24825 Recommendation to approve the minutes of the Climate, Environment, and Coastal Protection Committee meeting held Tuesday, September 26, 2023.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE CLIMATE ENVIRONMENT AND COASTAL PROTECTION COMMITTEE MEETING HELD TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26TH, 2023. GREAT. DO WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND? I'M TRYING TO MOVE IT. WOULD ANY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC LIKE TO COMMENT? SEE NONE. THANK YOU. LET'S CAST OUR VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ALRIGHT, ITEM TWO, [2. 23-24826 Receive and file a report on Southeast Resource Recovery Facility (SERRF).       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] CAN YOU PLEASE READ THE ITEM? YES. UH, RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE A REPORT ON SOUTHEAST RESOURCE RECOVERY FACILITY. SIR, THANK YOU. I AM EXCITED TO HEAR THIS PRESENTATION TODAY. SO I AM GOING TO LET, UM, BOB AND JANE TAKE IT AWAY. YEAH. GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIR DUGGAN. UH, TODAY'S PRESENTATION ON, UH, AN UPDATE ON SERF WILL BE PROVIDED BY JANE HERMON, THE BUREAU MANAGER FOR SURF OPERATIONS. THANK YOU, BOB. GOOD AFTERNOON AND HAPPY HALLOWEEN. UM, I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE SOUTHEAST RESOURCE RECOVERY FACILITY, UH, ALSO BETTER KNOWN AS SURF . APOLOGIES. FINICKY. THERE YOU GO. SO, IN LONG BEACH, WE MANAGE OUR WASTE BY A DEFINED WASTE MANAGEMENT HIERARCHY THAT INCLUDES, FIRST, ENCOURAGING WASTE REDUCTION TO REACH ZERO WASTE GOALS. SECOND, ENCOURAGING REUSE AND FURTHER EFFORTS TO REACH THE, UH, ZERO WASTE. AND THIRD, RECYCLING WHAT CANNOT BE REUSED AND FOR WHICH RECYCLING IS POSSIBLE. AND FINALLY, FOR WASTE THAT CANNOT BE RECYCLED, WE USE THE REMAINING WASTE STREAM AS A FUEL SOURCE TO CREATE LOCAL CLEAN ENERGY THAT SUPPORTS AN INCREASING DEMAND FOR ELECTRICITY IN OUR GLOBAL QUEST TO REDUCE RELIANCE ON FOSSIL FUELS AS OPPOSED TO LANDFILL. THAT WASTE STREAM, THE WASTE MANAGEMENT HIERARCHY DIAGRAM SHOWN ON THE RII PROVIDES CLEAR GUIDANCE THAT BOTH MATERIAL RECOVERY VIA REUSE, RECYCLING AND COMPOSTING, FOLLOWED BY RECOVERY OF ENERGY, SHOULD PROCEED ANY WAY BEING SENT TO LANDFILLS. OVER 40 YEARS AGO. THE CLOSURE OF A NEARBY LANDFILL LED TO A REALIZATION THAT LONG BEACH COULD NO LONGER RELY ON THE EXPORT OF ITS MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE AS A RESPONSIBLE SOLUTION WITH NO IMPACTS TO OTHER NEARBY COMMUNITIES. THE SURF SOLUTION, WHICH INCORPORATED WASTE TO ENERGY TECHNOLOGY, WAS CHOSEN AS THE BEST ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE TOOL FOR THE CITY'S CONTINUED WASTE MANAGEMENT WASTE TO ENERGY OR WTE, IS A CRITICAL COMPONENT OF THE PREFERRED MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT HIERARCHY, AND CAN BE A SIGNIFICANT TOOL TO AVOID LANDFILLING WASTE AFTER REDUCTION, REUSE, AND RECYCLING. MORE SPECIFICALLY, WASTE TO ENERGY OFFERS SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN GREENHOUSE GASES COMPARED TO THAT OF LANDFILL WASTE WASTE TO ENERGY AVOIDS THE MAIN CONSEQUENCES OF FIL WHICH ARE LEAKING OF TOXIC CHEMICALS INTO THE GROUND AND THE RELEASE OF METHANE TO THE ATMOSPHERE. THE SECOND LARGEST CONTRIBUTOR TO GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE LANDFILLS HAVE RECENTLY BE BEEN IDENTIFIED BY NASA SCIENTISTS AS SUPER EMITTERS OF METHANE LANDFILLS DON'T MEASURE THEIR EMISSIONS, THEY MODEL THEM AND HAVE BEEN UNDER REPORTING FOR YEARS. FOR REFERENCE, IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT METHANE IS 80 TIMES MORE POTENT THAN CO TWO. OVER 20 YEARS AS A GREENHOUSE GAS SURF'S WASTE TO ENERGY OPERATIONS REDUCE CARBON DIOXIDE EQUIVALENT EMISSIONS THAT OTHERWISE WOULD BE GENA GENERATED FROM LONGER TRANSPORTATION DISTANCES TO OUTSIDE LANDFILLS. CURRENTLY ABOUT 30 TO 60 MILES AWAY, THEY REDUCE THE NEED FOR LANDFILL, AVOIDING LANDFILL EMISSIONS OF METHANE. EVERY TON OF WASTE PROCESS THAT SURF AVOIDS A TON OF CO TWO EMITTED TO THE ATMOSPHERE BASED ON A HUNDRED YEAR METHANE GLOBAL WARMING POTENTIAL. LET'S TALK TRASH. MAJORITY OF THE RESIDENTIAL SOLID WASTE THAT IS COLLECTED IN LONG BEACH IS BROUGHT TO SURF, WHICH EQUATES TO ABOUT 170,000 TONS ANNUALLY. THE SURF FACILITY IS LOCATED ON TERMINAL ISLAND IN THE PORT AT, IN THE PORT AT THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF, UH, OCEAN BOULEVARD AND THE TERMINAL ISLAND FREEWAY HIGHWAY [00:05:01] 47. THE AREA SURROUNDING SURF IS GENERALLY CHARACTERIZED AS HEAVY INDUSTRIAL MANUFACTURING, TRUCKING AND SHIPPING USES PROPERTIES NEAR THE FACILITY INCLUDE OIL FIELDS, CONTAINER SHIPPING FACILITIES, POWER PLANTS, REFINERIES, AND HARBOR WATERWAYS. THE NEAREST RESIDENT IS APPROXIMATELY 1.7 MILES FROM THE FACILITY HERE. WE TAKE THAT TRASH AND TURN IT INTO THE TREASURE OF ELECTRICITY. SURF HAS BEEN OPERATING FOR 35 YEARS SINCE JULY, 1988 AS A 1380 TON PER DAY SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT FACILITY THAT USES MASS BURN TECHNOLOGY TO REDUCE THE VOLUME OF SOLID WASTE BY UP TO 90% WHILE RECOVERING ELECTRICAL ENERGY AND METAL. THE FACILITY IS OWNED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LA COUNTY SANITATION DISTRICT UNDER A JOINT POWERS AUTHORITY AGREEMENT IN PLACE TO PAY THAT WAS IN PLACE TO PAY OFF $108 MILLION BOND OVER THE 30 YEAR PROJECTED LIFE OF THE FACILITY. THE CITY AND COUNTY SANITATION DISTRICTS CO-OWN SURF UNDER A JOINT POWERS AUTHORITY WITH A ONE TWO-THIRD TO ONE-THIRD SPLIT BETWEEN THE CITY AND SANITATION DISTRICTS RESPECTIVELY. SURF IS THEN LEASED TO AND OPERATED BY THE CITY OF LONG BEACH, WHICH CONTRACTED THE DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS TO COVANTA RENEWABLE ENERGY. COVANTA BRINGS A LOT OF EXPERIENCE AND RESOURCES AS THEY OWN AND OPERATE OTHER WASTE TO ENERGY FACILITIES THROUGHOUT THE US AND GLOBALLY. SURF OPERATES UNDER TWO MAIN PERMITS. THE SOLID WASTE FACILITY PERMIT, WHICH IS ISSUED BY THE STATE AND THE TITLE FIVE PERMIT ISSUED BY THE SOUTH COAST AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT DISTRICT. UM, THE CITY HAS EMBARKED ON AN AGGRESSIVE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN TO MITIGATE THE PROJECTED FUTURE CLIMATE CHANGES TO OCCUR AND ENSURE THE CITY IS PREPARED FOR THE IMPENDING IMPACTS. A KEY ELEMENT IN THAT PLAN IS ITS WASTE ACTIONS THAT CONTEMPLATES THE CONTINUED USE OF SURF GOING FORWARD IN THAT PLAN. IF SURF WERE TO BE REMOVED AS PART OF THE INTEGRATED WASTE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY, THE CITY'S GREENHOUSE GAS INVENTORY WOULD INCREASE BY 98,200 METRIC TONS OF CO TWO EQUIVALENTS PER YEAR BY LANDFILL, ITS MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE VERSUS PROCESSING IT THROUGH SURF AND INCREASE IN ADDITIONAL 2080 METRIC TONS OF CO TWO EQUIVALENTS A YEAR FROM THE 580,000 ADDITIONAL MILES DRIVEN BY TRUCKS HAULING ITS WASTE TO THE NEARBY LANDFILLS. THESE IMPACTS WOULD ALSO BE SIMILARLY REALIZED BY THE OVER A HUNDRED LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES CURRENTLY BRING THEIR WASTE TO SURF. UH, THIS SLIDE DEPICTS THE GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTIONS FROM SERF'S OPERATIONS WHEN CONSIDERING THE LIFECYCLE ASSESSMENTS LCA FOR THE GLOBAL WARMING POTENTIAL OF METHANE OVER A 20 YEAR PERIOD. MOVING FROM LEFT TO RIGHT ON THE DIAGRAM, IT STARTS WITH THE EMISSIONS FROM THE WTE OR EFW ENERGY FROM WASTE PROCESS. THEN MOVING RIGHT SHOWS THE OFFSETTING VALUES FOR THE INHERENT BENEFITS OF WASTE ENERGY OPERATIONS. SINCE ITS BEGINNING OF OPERATIONS IN 1988, SURF HAS AVOIDED OVER 37 MILLION TONS OF CO TWO EQUIVALENTS. THIS IS EQUIVALENT TO CLOSING NINE COAL POWER PLANTS IN A YEAR. PROJECTING FORWARD FOR THE NEXT 20 YEARS, SURF WOULD EXPECT TO AVOID ANOTHER 90 MILLION TONS OF CO TWO EQUIVALENTS COMPARABLE TO REMOVING 3.7 MILLION PASSENGER VEHICLES FROM THE ROAD FOR A YEAR. SURF DIFFERS FROM CONVENTIONAL INCINERATOR AS IT INCLUDES ENERGY RECOVERY AS A COMPONENT OF ITS OPERATIONS. ON AVERAGE, SURF PRODUCES OVER 200,000 MEGAWATT HOURS OF ELECTRICITY PER YEAR. THIS REPRESENTS 20% OF THE ANNUAL RESIDENTIAL ELECTRIC LOAD FOR THE CITY OF LONG BEACH, OR ENOUGH TO POWER ABOUT 63,000 ELECTRIC VEHICLES A YEAR. IN FY 22 SURF GENERATED $13.9 MILLION IN ELECTRICITY SALES. THE BENEFIT OF ENERGY RECOVERY FROM WASTE ASIDE, SERF'S OPERATIONS PROVIDE FOR THE SAFE DISPOSAL OF UNUSED AND EXPIRED PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS, PREVENTING DRUGS FROM ENDING UP IN THE WRONG HANDS OR POLLUTING PUBLIC WATER SUPPLIES. ADDITIONALLY, SURF DESTROYS AN AVERAGE OF 17,000 POUNDS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT CONFISCATED NARCOTICS EACH MONTH. SURF HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY OPERATING FOR OVER 35 YEARS IN THE MOST REGULATED AIR BASIN IN THE US SURF SUBMISSIONS ARE MONITORED CONTINUOUSLY AND MUST COMPLY TO THE RULES, REGULATIONS, AND PERMITS ISSUED BY THE S-C-A-Q-M-D AND EPA. THESE REGULATIONS ARE CONTINUALLY BEING UPGRADED AND CHANGED AS NEW TECHNOLOGY IS DEVELOPED. ER SUBMISSIONS ARE MEASURED BOTH THROUGH RIGOROUS STAUS, WHICH ARE PERFORMED AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR BY A REGULATOR APPROVED THIRD PARTY. AND THROUGH CONTINUOUS EMISSIONS MONITOR STEMS. OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, ER SUBMISSIONS WERE OUT OF COMPLIANCE, ABOUT 0.06% OF ITS OPERATING TIME DUE TO EQUIPMENT MALFUNCTIONS, WHICH ARE ALLOWED UNDER S-C-A-Q-M-D REGULATIONS. [00:10:02] LIKE ALL HUMAN ACTIVITY WASTE MANAGEMENT HAS AN IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT. HOWEVER, THE THOROUGH COMBUSTION PROCESS AND AIR POLLUTION CONTROL EQUIPMENT MINIMIZES THOSE EMISSIONS SURF OPERATES WELL BELOW THEIR PERMITTED LIMITS AND REPRESENT A RELATIVELY MINOR SOURCE OF AIR POLLUTION IN THE LOCAL AIRSHED WHEN COMPARED WITH OTHER SOURCES OF EMISSIONS. THE CHART SHOWS SURF'S IMPACT COMPARED TO OTHER SOURCES IN THE SOUTH COAST AIR BASIN FOR ALL OF 2021 SURF EMITTED 0.003 POUNDS OF DIOXINS COMPARABLE TO THE APPROXIMATE DIOXIN EMISSIONS OF 150 ACRE FOREST FIRE. IN 2021 ALONE, NEARLY 2.6 MILLION ACRES WERE BURNED IN CALIFORNIA. LET'S REVIEW SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT THE CITY HAS FACED IN THE PAST YEARS. SURF WAS DESIGNED TO LAST FOR 30 YEARS SINCE STARTING ITS OPERATIONS IN JULY OF 1988. IN 2018, SURF CAME TO A HEAD WHERE IN ORDER TO EXTEND THE OPERATIONAL LIFE OF THE FACILITY, SIGNIFICANT SIGNIFICANT CAPITAL INVESTMENT WAS REQUIRED. HDR'S CONDITION ASSESSMENT STUDY COMPLETED IN 2018 INDICATED THAT A $12.9 MILLION CAPITAL INVESTMENT WAS NEEDED TO CONTINUE OPERATIONS THROUGH 2024 CITY AND COVANTA INVESTED THE CAPITAL TO EXTEND THE LIFE OF THE FACILITY TO JUNE OF 24 AND COMPLETED THE WORK IN FY 21 FOR LONGER OPERATION. THE STUDY SHOWS UP TO $66.3 MILLION ADDITIONAL CAPITAL INVESTMENT WOULD NEED TO BE MADE TO CONTINUE THROUGH 2039. ALSO, IN 2018, THE 30 YEAR POWER PURCHASE AGREEMENT PPA WAS CAL EDISON EXPIRED COMPARED TO THE PPA SET RATE OF 12 CENTS PER KILOWATT HOUR FOR ELECTRICITY, SURF HAS BEEN SELLING ELECTRICITY IN A DAY AHEAD MARKET WITH, UM, CALIFORNIA INDEPENDENT SYSTEM OPERATORS AT A VARYING RATE THAT AVERAGES ABOUT 4.60 CENTS A KILOWATT HOUR IN AUGUST OF 2022. ANOTHER CHALLENGE WAS BROUGHT TO LIFE WITH THE PASSAGE OF ASSEMBLY BILL 1857. THIS LEGISLATION REMOVED REMOVES THE CURRENT WASTE DIVERSION CREDIT OR RECYCLING CREDIT FOR JURISDICTIONS THAT DELIVER THEIR MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE TO SURF AND THE ONE OTHER, UH, WASTE ENERGY FACILITY IN CALIFORNIA. FOR A HISTORICAL BACKGROUND, THIS DIVERSION CREDIT WAS CREATED IN 1989 AS PART OF A ASSEMBLY BILL 9 39, THE RECYCLING LAW BY CAL RECYCLE TO NOT FINANCIALLY PENALIZE WASTE ENERGY FACILITIES THAT TOOK ACTION TO IMPLEMENT AN ACCEPTED SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY AND FURTHERED RECYCLING GOALS. CAL RECYCLE ALSO RECOGNIZED THE BENEFITS OF WASTE SYNERGY VERSUS LAND FILLING AND DESIRE TO ENCOURAGE THE CONTINUED USE OF SURF CITY STAFF PROJECTED THE LIKELY LOSS OF HALF THE ANNUAL WASTE TONNAGE DELIVERED TO SURF, ALONG WITH THE CORRESPONDING LOSS OF THAT REVENUE BEGINNING JANUARY, 2023. THIS PRESENTED FINANCIAL RISKS FOR THE CITY IN CONTINUING OPERATIONS OF SURF AND CITY STAFF WAS RECOMMENDING TO SUBMIT NOTICE OF EARLY CONTRACT TERMINATION TO COVANTA. WE HAVE SINCE AMENDED THE OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE AGREEMENT TO CHANGE THE COMMERCIAL STRUCTURE AND ALLOW COVANTA TO TAKE OVER SURF REVENUES AND EXPENSES UNTIL THE END OF THE CONTRACT TERM IN JUNE OF 2024. DURING THIS TRIAL PERIOD, COVANTA CAN DETERMINE IF THE FACILITY CAN RUN PROFITABLY WHILE THE CITY MINIMIZES ITS FINANCIAL RISKS AND INSULATES THE CITY FROM FURTHER LIABILITIES TO SET ASIDE SIGNIFICANT DOLLARS IN THE SURF FUND TO COVER THE COSTS OF FUTURE DECOMMISSIONING DEMOLITION EFFORTS. THIS AMENDMENT ALSO ENABLED THE CITY TO MAINTAIN ITS RATES FOR THE TIPPING FEES ON REFUSE BROUGHT TO SURF BY PUBLIC WORKS. UM, ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES BUREAU. THE CITY AND SURF CONTINUE TO FACE MORE CHALLENGES AS 2024 COMES AROUND THE CORNER. THE REGIONAL WASTE MARKET IS FACING HIGHER PRICES FOR LANDFILL DISPOSAL AND UNCERTAINTY, UNCERTAINTY IN LONG-TERM LANDFILL AVAILABILITY. ORANGE COUNTY LANDFILLS ARE RUMORED TO BE SHUT OFF TO LA COUNTY TRASH AT THE BEGINNING OF 2025. SURF FACILITY RELATED PROJECTIONS HAVE INDICATED THAT THE FACILITY WILL BE SOLVENT THROUGH AT LEAST JUNE OF 2024. HOWEVER, RECENT FAILURES OF EQUIPMENT NEAR OR AT THE END OF THEIR CRITICAL DESIGN LIFE AND UNEXPECTED POWER OUTAGES HAVE RESULTED IN SIGNIFICANT DOWNTIME PUTTING THE OPERATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY OF SURF AT RISK. IF SURF'S OPERATIONS WERE TO CEASE, THE CITY WOULD HAVE NO OPTION BUT TO SHIP ITS WASTE GREATER DISTANCES RESULTING IN A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE TO THE CITY'S DISPOSAL COSTS AND GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS. THE CITY IS NOW AT A PIVOTAL MOMENT WHERE THAT SIGNIFICANT CAPITAL INVESTMENT OF $66.3 MILLION IN THAT 2018 HDR STUDY NEEDS TO BE MADE [00:15:01] TO FURTHER EXTEND THE OPERATIONAL LIFE OF THE FACILITY BEYOND 2024. IN ADDITION TO THE NEEDED CAPITAL INVESTMENTS, THE CITY HAS BEEN INFORMED BY S-C-A-Q-M-D OF UPCOMING PROPOSED RULE MAKINGS THAT MAY REQUIRE SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENTS IN NEW SELECTIVE CATALYTIC REDUCTION POLLUTION CONTROL EQUIPMENT TO MEET LOWER NOX LEVELS. FURTHERMORE, THE CITY AND STATE OF CALIFORNIA CAL CALVER CYCLE CONTINUES TO STRIVE TO MEET SIGNIFICANT ORGANICS DIVERSION GOALS WITHOUT THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO MEET THEM. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT UNDER THIS NEW OR THE NEW ORGANIC LAWS CALVER CYCLE HAS EXCLUDED TRANSFORMATION FACILITIES LIKE SURF TO BE AN ACCEPTABLE FORM OF PROCESSING ORGANICS. WITH THESE CURRENT CHALLENGES, CITY STAFF ARE RESEARCHING AND EXPLORING POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR S'S FUTURE. IN LATE APRIL, THE CITY RELEASED A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL TO DESIGN PERMIT FINANCE CONSTRUCT OWN AND OPERATE AND ORGANIC WASTE RECEIVING AND PROCESSING FACILITY AT THE SURF SITE IN COMPLIANCE WITH, UM, SENATE BALLOT 1 13 83. UNDER THE TERMS OF THIS RFP, THE CITY WOULD SUBLEASE THE SURF SITE TO THE CONTRACTOR FOR A 10 OR 20 YEAR TERM AND THEN TRANSFER OWNERSHIP OF THAT ORGANIC WASTE RECEIVING AND PROCESSING FACILITY TO THE AUTHORITY OR CITY WITHOUT COMPENSATION TO THE DEVELOPER CONTRACTOR. A DESIRED OUTCOME OF THE RFP IS TO HAVE AN OPERATIONALLY FEASIBLE ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTION THAT IS ECONOMICALLY VIABLE AND INCORPORATES ORGANIC WASTE PROCESSING AND PROCUREMENT IN COMPLIANCE WITH SB 1383. FURTHERMORE, THE DESIRE WOULD BE FOR SURF TO BECOME A REGIONAL SOLUTION TO MANAGE ORGANICS WHERE SURROUNDING MUNICIPALITIES CAN ALSO BENEFIT FROM THE FACILITY TO PROVIDE SUCH A BENEFIT WITH A LARGER FACILITY. THE RFP DOES CONTEMPLATE THAT SURF WOULD BE DECOMMISSIONED AND DEMOLISHED BEFORE START OF THE NEW PROPOSED PROJECT. THE CURRENT STATUS OF ERFS RFP IS AS FOLLOWS, AN EVALUATION COMMITTEE OF STAFF HAS BEEN FORMED AND PROPOSALS RECEIVED ON AUGUST 31ST, 2023. THIS COMMITTEE PLANS A REVIEW AND EVALUATE THE PROPOSALS IN NOVEMBER, 2023. SOON AFTER THE NOTICE OF AWARD TO ENTER INTO EXCLUSIVE NEGOTIATING AGREEMENT WOULD BE SCHEDULED FOR JANUARY OF 24 UPON APPROVAL. THE CONTRACT NEGOTIATION APPROVAL AND EXECUTION WOULD FOLLOW WITH TIMING BASED ON HOW QUICKLY NEGOTIATIONS ARE COMPLETED ON A PARALLEL PATH WITH THE RFP. THE CITY IS ALSO IN NEGOTIATIONS WITH COVANTA TO EXTEND THE OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF SURF BEYOND THE CURRENT CONTRACT TERM, IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT ANY NEW AGREEMENT WOULD INCLUDE CAPITAL INVESTMENTS IN AN ADDED ORGANIC PROCESSING COMPONENT IN COMPLIANCE WITH SB 1383. IF SUCH NEGOTIATIONS FAIL TO RESULT IN CONTINUED OPERATION OF SERVE, COVANTA SHALL DECOMMISSION THE WASTE ENERGY FACILITY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CITY APPROVED DECOMMISSIONING PLAN. SOME POTENTIAL BUT REALISTIC RISKS AND OUTCOMES TO CONSIDER INCLUDE COVANTA FINES DURING THIS TRIAL PERIOD THAT STARTED FEBRUARY OF 23. OPERATION OF THE FACILITY IS NOT PROFITABLE AND TERMINATES THE CONTRACT. FURTHER, CAPITAL INVESTMENTS THAT NEED TO BE MADE ARE JUST TOO LARGE OF A FINANCIAL RISK FOR BOTH COVANTA AND THE CITY TO OVERCOME WHEN CALCULATING RETURNS ON THAT INVESTMENT. BECAUSE THE INDUSTRY FOR ORGANICS PROCESSING INFRASTRUCTURE IS STILL GROWING IN THE US THE RFP EVALUATION COMMITTEE MAY REJECT ALL OR MANY PROPOSALS DUE TO LACK OF COMMERCIAL VIABILITY OR PROVEN TECHNOLOGY. DURING EXCLUSIVE NEGOTIATIONS, C IS UNABLE TO AGREE ON FINAL TERMS TO YIELD A CONTRACT WITH THE PROPOSER AND MOVE FORWARD WITH THE PROJECT. ALL OF THESE CAN LEAD TO THE POTENTIAL OF SHUTTING DOWNER F AND STARTING THE DECOMMISSION PROCESS AS THERE WOULD BE NO ECONOMIC FUTURE FOR THE FACILITY. AS THE CITY APPROACHES THE END OF CURRENT OPERATIONS AGREEMENT WITH COVANTA TO OPERATE AN AGING FACILITY, AS WELL AS THE NEED TO COMPLY WITH THESE NEW ORGANICS LAWS, A DECISION ON THE BEST PATH FORWARD FOR OPERATIONS WILL NEED TO BE MADE RELATIVELY QUICKLY. THIS CONCLUDES THIS AFTERNOON'S PRESENTATION AND STAFF'S AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THAT WAS A GREAT PRESENTATION. UM, CAN I GET A MOTION IN A SECOND? DID I GET THAT? WE'LL GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT. IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON ITEM NUMBER TWO, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM AT THIS TIME. [00:20:06] OKAY. UH, I, I JUST HAVE A LITTLE HISTORY HERE. UH, WHEN SIR FIRST CAME IN ONLINE AND, UH, MY CHILDREN WERE YOUNG, THEY'RE NOW IN THEIR FORTIES, UH, I WAS BABYSITTING. I WAS PART OF A BABYSITTING CO-OP, AND I GOT A CALL FROM A GENTLEMAN NAMED PAUL BURTON TO COME DOWN TO CITY HALL BECAUSE THE CITY COUNCIL, OR THIS, I THINK IT WAS THE, THE CITY WAS CONSIDERING, LEMME PUT IT THAT WAY, UH, PERMANENTLY ALLOWING ER TO VIOLATE AIR QUALITY STANDARDS, NOT JUST TEMPORARILY SURF HAD WA WAS GIVEN MULTIPLE TEMPORARY REPRIEVES FROM HAVING TO MEET AIR QUALITY STANDARDS RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING. AND I, I WENT DOWN AND, UH, AND WE WERE HANDED OUT FACE MASK AND I TOOK THE KIDS, I WAS BABYSITTING WITH ME, AND THE NEXT DAY, UH, THEY APPEARED ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE PRESS TELEGRAM. UH, THEIR MOTHER WAS PRETTY COOL WITH IT, BUT, YOU KNOW, THOSE WERE THE DAYS OF, OF, YOU KNOW, BEING, AND WE WENT, WE WENT RIGHT INTO CITY HALL AND WE WENT UP TO SOME OFFICE. AND SO RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING, I THINK THERE HAS BEEN A CONCERN ABOUT HOW WE HANDLE OUR WASTE, AND THIS WAS NEVER A PERFECT SOLUTION. I REALLY APPRECIATE THIS PRESENTATION. I APPRECIATE THE CITY LOOKING INTO THE IDEA OF TRANSITIONING. I'M NOT SURE QUOTE UNQUOTE WHAT ORGANICS MEANS, BUT ONE THING I I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE HERE IS THE ABILITY TO RECYCLE OUR GAR, OUR GAR, OUR GREEN WASTE, OUR YARD WASTE, BECAUSE OTHER CITIES DO THIS AND IT ISN'T REALLY WASTE, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT WASTE AT ALL. IT, IT JUST CAN GO RIGHT BACK INTO OUR OWN YARDS OR INTO THE ENVIRONMENT. SO THANK YOU FOR THIS PRESENTATION. I REALLY LEARNED A LOT. THANK YOU. COMMITTEE MEMBERS. GO AHEAD. COUNCIL MEMBER. SUPER NOW. OKAY, THANK YOU. UH, JUST TO THAT LAST POINT THE SPEAKER BROUGHT UP, UH, COULD YOU GIVE US A LITTLE BRIEFING ON, UM, WHY THE ORGANICS CANNOT GO INTO THE GROUND IN THE METHANE, UH, SCENARIO? ORGANICS? OKAY, MY APOLOGIES. I THOUGHT THAT WAS GONNA BE A SOUTH BALL, BUT I'LL, NO, WE'VE GOT IT. IT'S COMING. . SO, UM, ORGANICS IS, UM, WHAT WE WOULD CALL CLASSIFY UNDER LIKE TWO MAIN CATEGORIES, WHICH IS FOOD WASTE AND GREEN WASTE. SO THEY, SOME, UM, TECHNOLOGIES OUT THERE PROCESS ONE OR THE OTHER. UM, IN THE CITY HERE, I BELIEVE OUR ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES BUREAU PARTNERS ARE LOOKING AT, UM, PROCESSING ALL OF IT, BUT, UM, TOGETHER, BUT FOOD WASTE OBVIOUSLY IS KIND OF LIKE YOUR SCRAPS, LIKE, YOU KNOW, YOUR EGGSHELLS, BANANA PEEL, THINGS LIKE THAT. WHEREAS GREEN WASTE WOULD BE LIKE YOUR LANDSCAPE YARD DEBRIS. UM, WHAT'S THE SECOND QUESTION? AND THEN, YEAH, AND I'LL FINISH. AND WHEN THAT, WHEN THOSE ORGANICS GO INTO METH, INTO LANDFILLS WITH THE, THE, THE PRESSURE AND THE TEMPERATURE, THEY CREATE METHANE, WHICH IS YOU SAW IS 80 TIMES MORE, UH, POTENT AS A GREENHOUSE GAS THAN CO TWO. SO THERE'S A LOT OF REASONS YOU DON'T WANT ORGANICS GOING INTO LANDFILLS. THAT'S THE BASIS BEHIND AB 1383. HOWEVER, THE, THE, UH, REGIONAL MARKET, UH, ISN'T, UH, UH, FULLY UP TO SPEED YET TO HANDLE, UH, ORGANIC PROCESSING OF THE VOLUME THAT WE WOULD HAVE SAY IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. SO, UH, RIGHT NOW WE'RE TRYING TO COME UP WITH SOME SOLUTIONS. THAT'S WHAT THE SURF RFP WAS CREATED FOR, WAS TO LOOK AT WHAT TECHNOLOGY COULD WE POTENTIALLY UTILIZE IN LONG BEACH TO HANDLE THE ORGANICS. WHAT WE DON'T KNOW IS WHETHER WE'RE GONNA DO A MIXED STREAM, WHICH AS JANE MENTIONED, IS, IS A GREEN WASTE AND A FOOD WASTE, OR ARE WE GONNA HAVE SEPARATE PROCESSING? THERE ARE TECHNOLOGIES THAT CAN'T DO BOTH. UH, SOME OF 'EM ONLY DO ONE OF THOSE TWO. SO WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHICH SOLUTION IS THE BEST FOR THE CITY. WE HOPE IT TO BE BIGGER THAN JUST THE CITY OF, UH, LONG BEACH'S, UH, ORGANIC WASTE. WE HOPE IT COULD BE A REGIONAL SOLUTION. RIGHT NOW THERE ARE SOME, UH, UH, AVENUES WHERE YOU CAN BRING ORGANICS TO, BUT AT PRESENT, WE IN THE CITY, WE'RE TRYING TO USE THAT AS A, A SPRINGBOARD INTO WHAT WE MIGHT DO, UH, IF SURF IS NO LONGER ECONOMICALLY VIABLE. I'LL DO A FOLLOW UP. UM, TO, TO THAT POINT, IF I COULD JUST FOLLOW UP. SO I, I, I THINK I KNOW A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW THE SYSTEM OPERATES NOW, BUT, UM, AS A REGIONAL FACILITY, DO YOU HAVE, UH, CUSTOMERS LINED UP OR DO YOU HAVE AN IDEA ABOUT, UH, HOW, HOW WIDESPREAD THIS WOULD BE IN TERMS OF, IN TERMS OF POTENTIAL USERS? SO THAT, UH, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION. IT'S KIND OF COMPLICATED BECAUSE VARIOUS CITIES ARE AT DIFFERENT STAGES OF THEIR COMPLIANCE. WITH 1383, THE CITY OF LONG BEACH FILED THEIR PLAN AS MOVING FORWARD WITH THAT. I THINK THEY'RE GONNA START, UH, IN, UH, JANUARY OF 2024. UH, WITH THAT, UH, OTHER CITIES AREN'T AS FAR BEHIND, SO IT'S KIND OF UP IN THE AIR, BUT PRETTY MUCH THE WASTE STUDY THAT THE ESB DID SHOWED THAT 50% OF THE WASTE IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH WAS ORGANIC IN NATURE. SO IT'S A PRETTY SIZABLE VOLUME REGIONALLY. UH, AND SO THERE WOULD CERTAINLY BE FOLKS THAT WOULD LOOK AT, UH, HOW, HOW TO GET RID OF THAT. UH, THE DISTANCES YOU TRAVEL OR A BIG COMPONENT, YOUR TRANSPORTATION COSTS MANY TIMES ARE 40% [00:25:01] OF THE, UH, COST TO JUST GET RID OF WASTE. AND SO THE CLOSER, UH, FOLKS COULD BE LOCATED TO A SOLUTION VERSUS RIGHT NOW, UH, ONE OF THE BIG SITES IS, IS OUT IN, IN PARIS, UH, UH, OUT IN THE DESERT. SO, UH, AT ALTO IT'S A LOT FARTHER FOR PEOPLE TO BRING IT TO THERE. AND SO THOSE COSTS WOULD BE HIGHER. SO WE'RE TRYING TO LOOK AT A REGIONAL SOLUTION HERE. THERE IS SOME ANAEROBIC DIGESTION THAT OCCURS LOCALLY, UH, AND, AND SOME OF IT COULD BE TRACH AND AIR, BUT IT'S A VERY SPECIFIC WASTE PRODUCT THAT IS USED IN THAT PROCESS. SO IT'S, THEY'RE ALL VERY LIMITING. UH, I THINK ONE OF THE SLIDES SAID THAT WE HAVE, UH, GREAT VISION OF HOW TO, UH, TO GET, HANDLE THESE ORGANICS, BUT THEY, THE INFRASTRUCTURE TODAY IS NOT CURRENTLY IN PLACE. GREAT. THANK YOU. UH, I'D LIKE TO PRESENTATION, VERY INFORMATIVE, VERY EDUCATIONAL. I WOULD TAKE WHAT WE NEEDED TO KNOW. THE FACT I HAD A LOT OF QUESTIONS IN REGARDS TO WHERE WE'RE GOING WITH THIS. UH, IT SEEMS LIKE WE HAVE NO CHOICE. WE'RE STUCK BETWEEN A ROCK AND OF OUR PLACE, AND, UH, WE'RE DEALING WITH IT WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO ANYWAY. SO I, UH, YOU KNOW, I, UH, EMPATHIZE THE CITY FAMILY AS TO WHAT WE HAVE TO DO IT, WHERE WE HAVE TO GO IN ORDER TO, UH, TO DEAL WITH THIS SITUATION. IT'S, UH, CIRCUMSTANCES BEYOND OUR CONTROL. UH, WE ARE MAKING OUR, THE BEST WE CAN WITH IT. I THINK THE APPROACH THAT YOU HAVE, UH, PLANNED ON CURRENTLY IS THE BEST APPROACH FOR WHAT WE GOT. UH, THERE'S PROBABLY SOME OTHER SOLUTIONS OUT THERE THAT WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT, BUT WE WOULD NEED MORE TIME. AND WE DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF TIMING THAT ANYMORE. IT'LL THINK IT'S, IT'S COMING 28, UH, NEXT YEAR. 24 IS OUR, IS OUR, UH, BENCHMARK DATE, I GUESS FOR US TO GET, TO HAVE A SOLUTION TO GET THINGS DONE BY MY, UNFORTUNATELY, MY, MY MY FEAR IS THAT WE'RE, AS A CITY, WE'RE GONNA BE SPENDING MORE MONEY. WE'RE HAVE TO GET, WE'RE GONNA GO. WASTE IS KINDA GO SOMEWHERE. WASTE IS WASTE. WE HAVE TO GET RID OF IT OR CONVERTED CHANGE IT, OR RESECT GREEN WASTE CAN BE RECYCLED. OKAY? WE KNOW THAT BIG MULCH GREAT, BUT ORGANIC WASTE IS SOMETHING ELSE. IS A, IT'S A, IT'S A NEW TECHNOLOGY THAT'S COMING IN. WE'RE FIGHTING SOME BARRIERS WITH CONVERTING THE FACILITY INTO A, UH, ORGANIC, UH, CONVERSION FACILITY. UM, ENERGY LEADS YOU TO, WELL, IT WORKS, BUT IT'S NOT A DESIRED, APPARENTLY THE BILL PASSED BECAUSE PEOPLE POLL IT. THE CONVERSION TO ENERGY IS NOT A USEFUL BYPRODUCT OF THE WASTE THAT WE HAVE, WHICH IT'S A UNFORTUNATE, UH, AND A UNFORTUNATE FOR US. IT'S A, NOT ONLY A, A LOSS IN TERMS OF HOW WE CONVERT IT INTO WASTE ENERGY, BUT REVENUE. AND THAT'S, AND THAT'S, THAT'S A KICKER AT AT THIS POINT, UH, WE'RE MAKING MONEY, BUT NOW WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO SPEND MONEY IN ORDER TO MOVE FORWARD. SO, UH, I'M NOT VERY HOPEFUL, UH, AS TO WHERE WE'RE GOING WITH THIS, BUT THANK YOU FOR THE REPORT WITH NO MORE COMMENT. LET'S GO AHEAD AND TAKE IT TO A VOTE CHAIR. DUGGAN. MOTION CARRIES. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. LET'S MOVE TO ITEM THREE [3. 23-24827 Recommendation to receive and file a report from Algalita.       Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] ON THE AGENDA. I AM VERY HAPPY TO SAY THAT, UM, KATIE FROM ALITA, WHICH IS A NONPROFIT BASED IN THE THIRD DISTRICT, IS COMING HERE TO PRESENT, UH, ALITA REALLY FOCUSES ON PLASTICS IN THE OCEAN. UM, MY DAUGHTER, WHEN SHE WAS A GIRL SCOUT, GOT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS AND SHE DID REPORTS ON IT, SO I AM HAPPY TO HAVE INVITED THEM TO COME AND SPEAK. UM, AND YOU CAN TAKE IT FROM HERE. KATIE, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR COMING. PATIENT. AM I ON? THANK YOU SO MUCH. I'M JUST GONNA TEST THIS REAL QUICK BEFORE I GET STARTED. WHERE DO I POINT THIS OUT? OKAY. ALRIGHT, SO YOU'LL HANDLE IT. ALRIGHT, FANTASTIC. AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR THE INVITATION. UM, REALLY HAPPY TO BE HERE TODAY. [00:30:01] I PUT TOGETHER SOME SLIDES TO KIND OF BRING EVERYBODY UP TO SPEED ON WHAT OUR ORGANIZATION HAS BEEN UP TO. UM, AS MANY OF YOU MAY KNOW, OUR ORGANIZATION, ALITA, WE WERE FOUNDED HERE IN LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA BACK IN 1994 BY CAPTAIN CHARLES MOORE. WE, UM, ARE KNOWN FOR 25 YEARS OF DOING OCEAN PLASTICS RESEARCH, MAINLY IN THE NORTH PACIFIC GYRE. AND, UH, CHARLIE IS REALLY KNOWN AS THE MAN WHO STARTED THE MOVEMENT TO, UM, END PLASTIC POLLUTION, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO MICROPLASTICS. SO HE'S THE MAN CREDITED FOR DISCOVERING, UM, THE AREA WHERE PLASTICS ACCUMULATE, WHICH IS SO AMAZING THAT HE IS A LONG BEACH RESIDENT. AND OUR RESEARCH VESSEL HAS BEEN RIGHT BY SECOND STREET FOR SO MANY YEARS. UM, VERY, VERY PROUD TO BE PART OF THIS ORGANIZATION. UM, AND I'VE BEEN WITH THEM SINCE 2010, SO IT'S BEEN QUITE A WHILE SINCE I'VE BEEN WORKING NEXT TO CHARLIE. AND, UH, AGAIN, THE STUDY AREA, IF YOU WANNA GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, JUST SO EVERYBODY IS FAMILIAR, UM, THIS WAS THE AREA WHERE HE, UH, REALIZED THAT MICROPLASTICS WERE ACCUMULATING IN OUR FARAWAY OCEANS CALLED THE NORTH PACIFIC GYRE. UM, THE MEDIA COMMONLY CALLS IT THE GREAT PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH. YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD THAT TERM BEFORE. UM, AND NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. WHEN YOU TROLL, THIS IS WHAT THE MICROPLASTICS LOOK LIKE. SO HE'S DONE AN AMAZING JOB, UM, GOING OUT INTO ALL DIFFERENT KINDS OF MEDIA OUTLETS, WHETHER IT WAS DAVID LETTERMAN, WHICH IS WHERE I FIRST SAW HIM ACTUALLY, UM, OR ANY OF THE OTHER TALK SHOWS THAT HE'S BEEN ON, AND REALLY WAS ABLE TO RAISE THE RED FLAG FLAG ABOUT THIS ISSUE. SO I WANNA BRING YOU ALL UP TO SPEED ON WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING. WE HAVE BEEN HERE IN LONG BEACH FOR ACTUALLY 30 YEARS. THIS IS OUR ANNIVERSARY NEXT YEAR. SO WE, WE'LL BE PLANNING A BIG PARTY AND WE HAVE A LOT OF REALLY AMAZING THINGS GOING ON. BUT I WANTED TO ALSO MAKE A NOTE THAT DURING THOSE 30 YEARS, WE REALLY STARTED OFF AS A RESEARCH ORGANIZATION WITH THE RESEARCH VESSEL OUT IN THE NORTH PACIFIC. BUT WHAT VERY QUICKLY HAPPENED, UM, AFTER I JOINED IN 2010, I REALIZED WE WERE GETTING CALLS FROM PARENTS AND TEACHERS AND STUDENTS EVERY SINGLE DAY ASKING IF WE COULD COME INTO THEIR CLASSROOM OR IF WE HAD ANY TEACHING RESOURCES FOR THEM TO TEACH ABOUT MICROPLASTICS BECAUSE IT WAS A VERY, VERY NEW CONCEPT. AND SO THAT'S ACTUALLY WHEN I FIRST JOINED THE ORGANIZATION AS THE EDUCATION DIRECTOR AND STARTED BUILDING EDUCATION PROGRAMS. SO TEACHING KIDS FOR TEACHERS, UH, GOING OUT INTO CLASSROOMS, EVEN GETTING TO THE POINT WHERE WE STARTED WORKING WITH STUDENTS, UH, ALL OVER THE WORLD. WE HAD AN INTERNATIONAL YOUTH SUMMIT ON PLASTIC POLLUTION. WE WOULD HOST IN DANA POINT EVERY YEAR. AND WE VERY QUICKLY BECAME WELL KNOWN FOR OUR EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS. AND WHEN I SAY EXPERIENTIAL, WE TAKE STUDENTS OUT TO MATERIAL RECOVERY FACILITIES. WE'VE TOURED SURF WITH STUDENTS BEFORE WE GET THEM OUT IN THE FIELD TO REALLY UNDERSTAND THE FULL COMPLEXITIES BEHIND PLASTICS AND HOW IT POLLUTES THROUGHOUT ITS ENTIRE LIFE CYCLE. BUT WE ALSO PROVIDE THEM WITH TANGIBLE SOLUTIONS THAT THEY CAN DO, WHETHER IT'S IN THEIR HOME, THEIR COMMUNITY, OR EVEN GLOBALLY WITH OTHER, UH, STUDENTS, UH, THAT ARE WORKING ON SIMILAR ISSUES. SO I WANNA SHARE JUST THIS MAY, OUR ORGANIZATION LAUNCHED, UH, AN ONLINE PROGRAM, UH, GEARED TOWARDS ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATORS AND THEIR STUDENTS BECAUSE WHAT WE REALIZED IS A SMALL NONPROFIT, WE WERE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO REACH AS MANY YOUNG PEOPLE AS WE AS WE NEED TO. AND SO WE DOUBLED DOWN DURING THE PANDEMIC AND SORT OF SHIFTED OUR STRATEGY TO REALLY FOCUS ON ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATORS BECAUSE IT'S NO BRAINER. THEY HAVE NEW GROUP OF STUDENTS EVERY SINGLE YEAR. THERE'S ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATORS ACROSS THE GLOBE JUST DOING AMAZING WORK. BUT WE REALIZED THEY WERE INCREDIBLY UNDERSUPPORTED. AND ALSO IT'S VERY DIFFICULT AS AN EDUCATOR TO STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE EVER-CHANGING ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES THAT WE HAVE. SO PARTNERSHIPS WITH, UH, ORGANIZATIONS LIKE ALTA AND SOME OF OUR OTHER PARTNERS ARE REALLY CRITICAL TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATORS ARE TEACHING THE MOST UP TO DATE AND REAL WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION THAT THEY CAN, UH, SLIDE PLEASE. SO WHAT THE PROGRAM, UH, CURRENTLY HAS, IT'S TOTALLY FREE. UH, IT'S FUNDED BY SEVERAL FAMILY FOUNDATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN SUPPORTING US FOR YEARS. THERE'S NO LOGIN REQUIRED. WE WORKED WITH TEACHERS OVER A TWO YEAR PERIOD TO LEARN WHAT THEY REALLY WANTED. THEY JUST WANTED SIMPLE GOOGLE DOCS, GOOGLE FORMS, THINGS THAT THEY COULD DOWNLOAD AND EDIT THEMSELVES AND REALLY DEPLOY IN THE CLASSROOM THE WAY THAT THEY WANTED. SO WE HAVE LESSONS, TEACHING KITS, HOW TO GUIDES EVENTS AND STORYTELLING. AND WHAT'S REALLY NEAT ABOUT THE PROGRAM AS WELL IS IT HAS A STUDENT HUB WHERE, UH, TEACHERS ARE ABLE TO HAVE THEIR [00:35:01] STUDENTS LOG IN TO COMPLETE DIFFERENT ACTIONS TO LEARN SERVICE LEARNING HOURS. SO THEY ALL HAVE A PROFILE WHERE THEIR HOURS BUILD UP OVER TIME. AND TEACHERS ARE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS BECAUSE THEY'RE ABLE TO EITHER GIVE IT AS EXTRA CREDIT WHERE THE STUDENTS JUST SHOW THEM THE PROFILE AND HOW MANY HOURS THEY EARN. UM, WE'RE SEEING THEM DO COMPETITIONS BETWEEN PERIODS OF CLASSES OF WHICH CLASSES CAN EARN THE MOST HOURS. AND IT'S REALLY NEAT BECAUSE WE ARE ABLE TO ALLOW STUDENTS TO PARTICIPATE NOT JUST IN ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIONS AT THEIR SCHOOL, BUT LITERALLY WE HAVE PARTNERED WITH MANY OF OUR MOVEMENT PARTNERS, UM, ACROSS THIS PLASTIC POLLUTION MOVEMENT. AND WE'RE ALSO CONNECTING IT TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AS WELL. SO THAT'S BEEN AL GTA'S GLOBAL REACH. UM, AND WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO LAUNCH OVER 340 YOUTH PROJECTS AROUND THE GLOBE. AND WE HAVE AMAZING CONNECTIONS WITH EDUCATORS AND YOUTH. UM, YOU KNOW, AND THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. THE QUESTION ALWAYS ARISES AFTER, YOU KNOW, I TALK ABOUT THE WORK AND WHERE IT'S HEADED IS, WELL, WHAT WOULD BECOME THE FUTURE OF ALTAS RESEARCH? ARE WE STILL DOING RESEARCH IN THE OPEN OCEAN? WHAT'S THE PLAN? AND, UH, CHARLIE CAME TO ME SLIDE PLEASE. IN JANUARY OF 2020 IN THE OFFICE, AND I, HE HAD HIS, HE DRESSED UP REALLY NICELY. I KNOW WHENEVER I SEE HIM ALL DRESSED UP, HE'S GOT SOME CRAZY IDEA. AND HE SAID, KATIE, I CAN'T STOP BUT THINKING ABOUT HOW THESE PLASTICS ARE BREAKING DOWN TO LEVELS THAT WE CAN'T SEE. AND THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF, UM, A SAMPLE THAT IS PULLED FROM THE NORTH PACIFIC, AND YOU WOULD IMAGINE THAT THERE WOULD BE MORE OF THOSE 0.3 TO 0.5 MILLIMETERS. YOU WOULD THINK THAT THERE WOULD BE MORE OF THAT THAN ANYTHING. IT'S ALMOST LIKE IMAGINE CEREAL DEGRADING IN A BOWL OF SOUP. SO YOU WOULD ASSUME THAT THERE WOULD BE MORE OF THOSE TINY, TINY LITTLE PARTICLES THAN ANYTHING ELSE. BUT THAT'S NOT THE CASE. AND IT REALLY STARTED TO GET IN CHARLIE'S HEAD THAT WE NEEDED TO SLIDE PLEASE SHIFT FROM FOCUSING ON OUR OPEN OCEAN RESEARCH. WE HAD REALLY ACHIEVED OUR MISSION AS AN ORGANIZATION IN THAT SPACE. WE BROUGHT THE MICROPLASTICS ISSUE TO THE FOREFRONT OF THE CONVERSATION. THE WORLD KNEW MICROPLASTICS WERE A PROBLEM. AND SO RIGHT BEFORE THE PANDEMIC HAPPENED, UH, WHICH WE DIDN'T ANTICIPATE THE PANDEMIC HAPPENING LIKE EVERYONE ELSE, WE MADE A VERY AMBITIOUS DECISION TO INCORPORATE A BRAND NEW SISTER, 5 0 1 C THREE CALLED MORE INSTITUTE FOR PLASTIC POLLUTION RESEARCH. THAT WOULD BE AN ORGANIZATION WE WOULD BRING SCIENTISTS ON. WE WOULD, UM, MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY HAS THE HISTORY IN DOING MICROPLASTICS RESEARCH IN ORDER TO REALLY TAKE OUR VISION TO BRING IT TO FRUITION. LOOKING AT NANOPLASTICS. AND WE BROUGHT ON EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SHELLY MOORE. UM, SHE PREVIOUSLY WAS AT A JOINT POWERS AUTHORITY, UH, SCORP IN, UM, UH, COSTA MESA AS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. AND WE WERE ABLE TO TRANSFORM A, IT WAS A PREVIOUSLY A LITTLE NAIL SALON DOWN IN ALAMEDOS BAY, LANDING INTO A TINY LITTLE PROTOTYPE LAB, UM, WHERE WE FOUND AN ANGEL FUNDER WHO, UM, FUNDED ALL OF THE CRITICAL EQUIPMENT NECESSARY TO DO NANOPLASTICS RESEARCH. IT WAS JUST, IT WAS INCREDIBLE. THIS ALL HAPPENED WITHIN A FOUR MONTH PERIOD AFTER WE INCORPORATED THE NONPROFIT. SO THROUGH THIS, WHAT MOORE INSTITUTE HAS BEEN DOING SINCE THE 2020 INCORPORATION, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO BRING ON BOARD MEMBERS FROM THE CALIFORNIA STATE WATER BOARD. AND THERE WAS ACTUALLY A SENATE BILL THAT PASSED BACK IN 2018, UH, SENATE BILL 1422 THAT IS GOING TO REQUIRE MUNICIPALITIES TO TEST FOR MICROPLASTICS IN DRINKING WATER. NOW THERE ARE NO LABS IN THE ENTIRE WORLD ACCREDITED TO TEST FOR MICROPLASTICS IN DRINKING WATER. MOORE INSTITUTE IS ON TRACK TO BECOME THE FIRST LAB WITH THAT ACCREDITATION. AND NOT ONLY THE FIRST LAB TO BE ACCREDITED TO TEST FOR MICROPLASTICS, BUT THEY'RE THE ONES WHO ARE COMING UP WITH THE SOPS. THEY'RE THE ONES COMING UP WITH ALL OF THE METHODOLOGY AND LEARNING HOW THESE LABS ALL OVER THE, UH, THE STATE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO BE ABLE TO PROCESS THESE, UH, MICROPLASTIC SAMPLES. SO WE THINK ACCREDITATION'S LIKELY GOING TO WRAP UP NEXT YEAR OR SO. UM, BUT IT IS QUITE A HISTORICAL THING THAT MOORE INSTITUTE IS DOING. SO WE'RE, WE'RE SO HAPPY TO BE THERE, SISTER ORGANIZATION. AS WE CONTINUE PUSHING THE LIMITS ON EDUCATION, MORE INSTITUTES GOING TO CONTINUE PIONEERING THE MICROPLASTICS RESEARCH. AND SLIDE PLEASE. JUST LAST [00:40:01] MARCH, UH, IN 2023, WE WENT FROM OUR, BOTH OF OUR TEAMS, WHICH WE HAD ABOUT NINE PEOPLE WORKING IN A 430 SQUARE FOOT OFFICE . AND THE PROTOTYPE LAB WAS A LITTLE OVER 260 SQUARE FEET. WE SIGNED A LEASE FOR A BUILDING THAT IS RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO OUR OFFICE. AND WE HAVE A REFILL STORE, UH, IN ALAMEDO BAY LANDING AS WELL. AND WE STARTED RENOVATING. IT WAS QUITE AN AMBITIOUS, UH, JUMP FOR US BECAUSE AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, UM, EXTENDED RENT THE NEW PROGRAMMING THAT WE'RE PLANNING. BUT WE HAVE A HALF OF THE BUILDING, WHICH IS MORE INSTITUTE SIDE, AND THAT'S THE LAB AND WHERE THEY HAVE ALL OF THEIR EQUIPMENT, WHERE THEY ARE ALREADY STARTING TO PROCESS, UM, WATER FROM A, A VARIETY OF INTERESTING CLIENTS THAT I, I CAN'T REALLY TALK TOO MUCH ABOUT. BUT PEOPLE KNOW THAT THE TESTING FOR MICROPLASTICS AND DRINKING WATER IS COMING. AND SO, UM, THEY'VE ALREADY ACTUALLY STARTED SOME SAMPLE ANALYSIS. THE OTHER HALF OF THE BUILDING IS ALTAS. WE NOW, FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, ARE GONNA HAVE OUR OWN CLASSROOM. WE'RE BUILDING OUT A TECHNOLOGY LAB FOR STUDENTS, AND THEN IT'S GOING TO BE A PLACE FOR THEM TO COME AND DO REAL SCIENCE AND WORK WITH REAL SCIENTISTS AND SEE WHAT THIS FIRST OF ITS KIND LAB IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE, AND, UH, HOW IT'S LITERALLY GOING TO CHANGE THE WAY THAT WE LOOK AT PLASTICS POLLUTION SLIDE PLEASE. SO JUST SOME VISUALS OF KIND OF, AT LEAST FROM THE ALITA STANDPOINT, WHAT WE ARE AIMING TO DO IN OUR NEW LEARNING CENTER, WHICH BY THE WAY, I FORGOT TO TELL YOU, IT'S NAMED THE MOORE PLASTIC POLLUTION RESEARCH AND LEARNING CENTER, WHICH IS NAMED AFTER CHARLES CHARLES MOORE. SO WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO TEACHER TRAININGS, STUDENT WORKSHOPS. WE'RE GOING TO BE DIGGING INTO VR ROBOTICS. WE'RE ALSO GOING TO USE IT AS A COMMUNITY PLACE WHERE WE'VE ALREADY HAD OTHER NONPROFITS WHO HAVE COME AND USED THIS SPACE FOR MEETINGS OR COMMUNITY BUILDING EVENTS. AND ALSO SPEAKER SERIES. WE'RE ALSO CONNECTED TO, UH, OR EXCITED TO CONNECT OUR LOCAL STUDENTS HERE IN LONG BEACH AND IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TO ALL OF THE INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AND TEACHERS THAT WE'VE MET. UM, SO THERE'S DIFFERENT WAYS OF COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS OR EVEN USING TECHNOLOGY TO CONNECT CLASSES. WE'RE EXCITED TO, UM, REALLY BRING THE WORLD TOGETHER, UM, IN THIS SPACE SLIDE PLEASE. AND A REASON WHY WE DECIDED TO GO AFTER THIS BUILDING WASN'T JUST BECAUSE IT WAS NEXT DOOR TO OUR OFFICE. UM, IT'S AT THE GATEWAY OF ALAMEDO BAY, WHICH IS THE PERFECT PLACE TO DO CITIZEN SCIENCE ON MICROPLASTICS WITH STUDENTS. IT'S SAFE. UM, WE HAVE A TON OF PARTNERS THROUGHOUT THE BAY, WHETHER IT'S THE KAYAKS OR THE WATER BIKES, WHERE WE'RE ABLE TO REALLY, UM, HAVE STUDENTS AND TEACHERS ENJOYING LONG BEACH AND ENJOYING NATURE WHILE STILL LEARNING ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES. SLIDE PLEASE. AND WE ALSO HAVE A VARIETY OF REAL KEY FIELD RESOURCES THAT ARE IN WALKING DISTANCE FROM WHERE OUR NEW BUILDING IS. SO, AS I MENTIONED, WE HAVE WATER BIKES, KAYAKS IN THE DUFFY BOATS, WHICH WE'RE ABLE TO GET OUT ON THOSE. AND WE T TRAWL FOR MICROPLASTICS WITH STUDENTS WITH SMALL T TRAWLS. IT'S ACTUALLY A TON OF FUN, AND YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE HOW MUCH YOU CAN CATCH JUST ON A WATER BIKE. UM, THE AQUALINK TO THE AQUARIUM OF THE PACIFIC DROPS OFF RIGHT OUTSIDE OF OUR OFFICE. SO WE'RE THINKING ABOUT POTENTIAL PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE AQUARIUM. MAYBE CLASSES ARE GOING TO THEIR VENUE FOR THE DAY AND THEN TAKING THE BOAT OVER AND LEARNING WITH US. UM, THE SAN GABRIEL RIVER BRIDGE, IT, YOU KNOW, IT'S A, IT DRAINS A HUGE WATERSHED. AND SO AS I'M SURE YOU ALL HAVE SEEN, UM, ESPECIALLY DURING THE FIRST FLUSH, THERE IS A TON OF TRASH AND PLASTIC POLLUTION THAT COMES DOWN THE RIVER. PERFECT PLACE FOR US TO DO CITIZEN SCIENCE WORK WITH STUDENTS AND TEACHERS. SEAL BEACH, JUST PUT IN A FEW YEARS BACK, A NATIVE PLANT PARK AND A WATERSHED MAP, WHICH IS THE PERFECT EDUCATIONAL TOOL FOR US TO WALK STUDENTS AND TEACHERS OVER TO. AND THEN SEAL BEACH TENDS TO BE A MICROPLASTICS ACCUMULATION ZONE, JUST LIKE, UH, LIKE 72ND PLACE IN LONG BEACH IS, IS AN ACCUMULATION ZONE AS WELL. SO WE ARE ABLE TO DO SAND SAMPLING. AND THEN WE HAD SOME EXTRA OR SOME IDEAS OF, UM, HOW TO NOT JUST MAKE OUR PROGRAMMING ABOUT PLASTICS POLLUTION, BUT WHO CAN WE PARTNER WITH SO TEACHERS AND STUDENTS CAN ENJOY NATURE AND EXPERIENCE, YOU KNOW, EVEN HAVE FUN. SO MAYBE PART OF THE DAY THEY'RE OUT EMINEM SURF SCHOOL, LEARNING HOW TO SURF, AND THEN THE OTHER HALF OF THE DAY WE'RE SAMPLING FOR MICROPLASTICS. SO THERE'S A TON OF OPPORTUNITY AND, UM, YOU KNOW, A A LOT OF EXCITEMENT FOR US MOVING FORWARD. SLIDE PLEASE. AND THIS IS JUST WHAT SOME OF THOSE, UH, IN THE FIELD [00:45:01] ACTIVITIES LOOK LIKE. WE'VE ALREADY BEEN DOING A LOT OF THEM, BUT NOW SINCE WE HAVE THE CENTRAL BUILDING, WE'RE ABLE TO BRING THE CLASSES BACK AND ACTUALLY DO THOSE MORE HANDS-ON WORKSHOPS. BUT THAT'S THE WATER BIKES, THE, UM, SOME OF OUR CLEANUPS AND WE DO OUR SYNTHETIC SAND SAMPLING SLIDE PLEASE. AND FOR US, WE'RE, WE'RE GROWING. SO IF THERE'S, YOU KNOW, ANY CONNECTIONS IN THE CITY OR WE'RE MAINLY, UH, FUNDED BY INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTIONS AND FAMILY FOUNDATIONS, BUT, YOU KNOW, I JUST THINK THAT WHAT WE'RE BUILDING HERE IN LONG BEACH, IT IS TRULY THE FIRST OF ITS KIND. UM, AND IT'S REALLY, REALLY EXCITING. AND WE CAN'T WAIT TO START BRINGING IN, UM, LONG BEACH UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT SCHOOLS AND JUST CONNECTING THEM WITH ALL OF THE AMAZING FOLKS THAT WE'VE MET ALL AROUND THE WORLD. SLIDE PLEASE. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME. AND WE'RE REALLY EXCITED THAT LONG BEACH IS THE CITY THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO ALL OF THIS GREAT WORK IN FOR SO MANY YEARS. THAT WAS AMAZING, KATIE. THAT IS SO INTERESTING, UH, THAT WE HAVE IT RIGHT HERE IN LONG BEACH. I'M A LITTLE JEALOUS OF DANA POINT HAVING THE INTERNATIONAL, UM, EDUCATION. YOU'RE BRINGING KIDS INTO DANA POINT, IS THAT RIGHT? SO WE WERE, SO WE HAD 10 YEARS OF THE INTERNATIONAL YOUTH SUMMIT ANNUALLY, AND WE DID IT AT, UH, OCEAN INSTITUTE, BUT WE HAVE NOT HAD IT SINCE 2020, MAINLY BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC. WE ARE CONSIDERING BRINGING IT BACK AND WE WOULD BE OPEN TO HAVING IT IN LONG BEACH IF WE DO BRING IT BACK. . I LIKE TO HEAR THAT. THAT'S WONDERFUL. THAT'S GREAT. UM, LET'S GO AHEAD AND, UM, DO WE HAVE A SECOND? WE DO. SO, UM, LET ME GO, ARE THERE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO WANNA SPEAK? IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON ITEM THREE, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM AT THIS TIME. KATIE, WHY DON'T YOU HOLD ON. 'CAUSE I THINK WE'RE GONNA HAVE SOME, SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU. IT LOOKS LIKE I'M SPEAKING ON EVERY ITEM HERE. UH, I JUST WANNA SAY THAT I MET CHARLIE MOORE, UH, ON THE QUEEN MARY NO, NO, ON THE LURE LINE GOING TO HAWAII WHEN WE WERE IN HIGH SCHOOL. HE WAS SPECIAL EVEN THEN. HE'S ALWAYS BEEN A REALLY FASCINATING PERSON. UM, HE'S ALSO VERY INVOLVED IN ORGANICS AND ORGANIC GARDENING AND STARTED THAT TOO. HIS, HIS, HE, HE, UH, HE'S, HE WANTS JUSTICE. WHEN HE RAN HIS OWN FURNITURE, UH, REPAIR BUSINESS, HIS WORKERS EVENTUALLY BOUGHT IT. HE, THE IDEA OF SHARING KNOWLEDGE AND, AND SHARING WEALTH IS, IS JUST SUCH SO IMPORTANT IN A COMMUNITY. AND HE REALLY EMBODIES THAT. UH, HE'S ONE OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS OF THE LOS CERRITOS WETLANDS TASK FORCE. AND, UH, AND HE PRESENTED AT, AT A, THE LONG BEACH AREA, UH, SIERRA CLUB MEETING IN. AND UNLIKE THIS PRESENTER, HE WAS A LITTLE LESS POSITIVE ABOUT THE FUTURE OF US AND PLASTIC, BECAUSE PLASTIC IS POLLUTION , AND IT'S NEW, YOU KNOW, IT'S SO NEW. WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT, ABOUT THE, WHEN, WELL, MAYBE NOT ONE, MAYBE NOT DUGAN, BUT I'M LOOKING AROUND. MOST OF US WERE KIDS, WASN'T A THING. RIGHT. AND NOW IT'S, IT IS LITERALLY WE'RE BREATHING IT. WE ARE MADE OF IT. AND CHARLIE'S REALLY AWARE OF THIS, BUT I THINK YOU COULD SEE FROM CHRISTINA THAT HE IS ALWAYS VERY POSITIVE. AND EVEN IN THIS PRESENTATION, HE SAID, I'M REALLY INTERESTED IN BEAUTY IN MAKING A BEAUTIFUL WORLD AND FOCUSING ON WHAT IS BEAUTIFUL. AND I THINK THIS PRESENTATION WAS REALLY BEAUTIFUL. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ALRIGHT. UM, COMMITTEE MEMBERS, ANY QUESTIONS? UM, THANK YOU. YOU KNOW, UM, ANNA CHRISTIAN'S COMMENTS SEEMED TO TRIGGER SOMETHING IN ME EVERY TIME SHE SAYS SOMETHING, BUT, UH, UM, I REMEMBER THAT ISN'T THE LINE IN THE GRADUATE, THE FUTURE IS PLASTICS. UM, BUT IT IS, AND YOU REMIND ME ABOUT, UH, CHARLIE MOORE'S, UH, INTEREST IN ORGANIC FARMING. SO I USED TO REPRESENT, UH, THE AREA IN ZARIA, AND HE WAS COMING IN AND GONNA CLEAR A LOT FOR, UH, ORGANIC GARDENING. AND THE STANDARD QUESTION FROM A COUNCIL OFFICER, WE WOULD ASK 100% OF THE TIME, UH, WHAT SIZE ROLL-OFF DUMPSTER DO YOU WANT? OR WHAT, WHAT DO YOU NEED THERE? AND HE LOOKED AT ME AND HE SAID, THERE'S NOTHING FROM THE SLOT THAT'S GOING TO A LANDFILL. AND SO HE REALLY PRACTICES WHAT HE PREACHES. SO, VERY IMPRESSED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER. WELL, I WAS HAVE TO SAY, IT'S A GREAT ORGANIZATION. THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU DO, AND LOOKING FORWARD TO SOME, SOME ADDITIONAL WORK THAT YOU GUYS ARE GONNA BRING FORWARD. [00:50:01] THANK YOU SO MUCH. SO CAN YOU SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR BOTTLE REFILL SHOP? OH, YES. THANK YOU FOR ASKING. SO, UH, WE HAVE A REFILL SHOP IN PARTNERSHIP WITH BRING YOUR OWN LONG BEACH, WHICH IS ANOTHER FIRST OF ITS KIND TYPE BUSINESS IN LONG BEACH, UM, THAT EVERYONE SHOULD BE AWARE OF. JULIE DARRELL, SHE'S THE OWNER. SHE HAS THREE LOCATIONS, ONE LOCATION'S AT THE ALITA OFFICE IN, UH, ALAMEDOS BAY LANDING. SHE'S GOT A STORE RIGHT HERE DOWNTOWN, AND THEN ONE IN BIXBY KNOLLS, WHERE PEOPLE CAN BRING THEIR OWN CONTAINERS. AND YOU CAN FILL UP ON ANY PERSONAL OR PERSONAL CARE OR HOME CARE PRODUCTS. SO SHAMPOOS, CONDITIONERS, BODY LOTIONS, DETERGENTS, DISH SOAP, LAUNDRY, SHE'S GOT IT ALL. AND IT'S ALL COMPLETELY NON-TOXIC. AND THE MAJORITY OF IT IS SOURCED FROM JUST LOCAL SOURCES. WE HAVE THE VENDORS, THEIR STORIES ON OUR WALL IN, UH, THE, UH, IN THE STORE. AND THE MAJORITY OF 'EM JUST STARTED OUT MAKING PRODUCTS IN THEIR GARAGE BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T FIND PRODUCTS FOR THEIR CHILDREN THAT WOULD WORK. SO IT'S REALLY A BEAUTIFUL, UH, KIND OF CIRCULAR, YOU KNOW, UM, ECONOMY IN A WAY WHERE PEOPLE CAN BRING THEIR OWN PRODUCTS, NOT USE PLASTICS AND REALLY GET PRODUCTS THAT, UM, THEY CAN FEEL SAFE ABOUT. SO YEAH, DEFINITELY COME CHECK US OUT. WE ALSO HAVE ALL THE REUSABLES THERE THAT YOU NEED. SO IT'S NOT JUST A REFILL STORE, BUT REUSABLES THAT CAN HELP US REDUCE THE WASTE FROM REUSABLE WATER BOTTLES, BAGS, STRAWS, REUSABLE CONTAINERS, UTENSILS, BEES WRAP. WE HAVE LITERALLY EVERYTHING THAT YOU NEED TO LIVE A LESS WASTEFUL LIFE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UM, AND ONE FINAL QUESTION TO CLARIFY, YOU'RE GONNA BE WORKING WITH L-B-U-S-D TO GET THE EDUCATION PROGRAM ON? YES, A HUNDRED PERCENT. IN FACT, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I DIDN'T MENTION, AND I SHOULD HAVE IS WE ARE GOING TO BE DESIGNING L-B-U-S-D, UH, CURRICULUM SPECIFIC FOR THEM. SO NOT A PARTNERSHIP THAT WE HAVE WITH THE BOARD, OR WE'RE JUST DOING IT ON OUR OWN. AND WE HAVE ALL OF THE GREAT CONNECTIONS WITH TEACHERS. UM, BUT WE HOPE THAT, UH, BY CREATING ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION THAT'S SPECIFIC TO LONG BEACH. SO NOT JUST TEACHING ABOUT PLASTIC POLLUTION, TEACHING ABOUT PLASTIC POLLUTION IN LONG BEACH, UH, YOU KNOW, CLIMATE CHANGE IN LONG BEACH. UM, WHAT ARE THE GREAT SOLUTIONS THAT ARE HAPPENING HERE IN LONG BEACH AS WELL. SO WHEN STUDENTS ARE OUT AND ABOUT IN THE COMMUNITY AND THEY SEE A JACK PUMP OR THEY, YOU KNOW, THEY SAY ALL THESE THINGS AROUND THAT, THEY'LL BE ABLE TO SAY, OH, I, I KNOW ABOUT THIS. I'M WELL EDUCATED ABOUT MY OWN LOCAL ENVIRONMENT AND THE SOLUTIONS. SO YES, UM, THAT'S KIND OF PART OF THE CENTER IS HAVING THAT CURRICULUM CONNECT TO THE ACTIVITIES THAT WE WILL BE DOING WITH STUDENTS AND TEACHERS. AND WE'RE THINKING 2024 IS THE YEAR THAT WE'RE GONNA BE ROLLING ALL THIS OUT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. IF THERE'S NO MORE QUESTIONS, I APPRECIATE YOUR PRESENTATION AND WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO KEEP UP ON THIS. THANK YOU. SO THANK YOU KATIE, SO MUCH FOR THE INVITATION. YEAH, WE'LL BE IN TOUCH. CAN WE GO TO A VOTE? MOTION CARRIES. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. IT'S BEEN A GOOD PRESENTATION DAY. UM, ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC [PUBLIC COMMENT Opportunity to address the Climate, Environment, and Coastal Protection Committee on non-agenda items. Each speaker is limited to three minutes to make their comments unless extended by the Chair.] FOR COMMENT? IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON NON-AG AGENDA, PUBLIC COMMENT, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE PODIUM AT THIS TIME. GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIR DUGGAN, UH, C COMMITTEE MEMBERS, UH, STAFF, UH, A CATCH UP COMMENT REALLY ON, UH, THE SURF PRESENTATION. I, I DIDN'T GET UP IN TIME, BUT, UH, I JUST WANTED TO SAY, UM, I, YOU KNOW, IT'S CLEARLY A POSITIVE FOR GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS TO HAVE SURF. UM, AFTER HEARING SEVERAL PRESENTATIONS AND DISCUSSIONS, I WONDER IF, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THE EMOTION ABOUT IT IS ABOUT THE PARTICULATE EMISSIONS, UM, AND NITRIC OXIDE, ET CETERA. AND I KNOW WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, BEST AVAILABLE CONTROL TECHNOLOGIES, WHICH IS KIND OF A, AN EPA EUPHEMISM FOR THE SCRUBBERS. BUT IF WE COULD, UH, DO A BETTER JOB OF QUANTIFYING, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S IN THE ACTUAL EFFLUENT FROM SURF AND COMPARE IT TO THE SURROUNDING AIR, WE KNOW THAT THE, THE LOCAL RESIDENTS THERE, UH, YOU KNOW, SUFFER THE HUGE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IMPACTS. AND WE'VE ALL HEARD THE COMPARISON OF LIVING IN WEST LONG BEACH, HAVING A 17 YEAR APPROXIMATELY LOWER LIFE EXPECTANCY THAN EAST LONG BEACH. AND SO IT JUST SEEMS LIKE THAT, UH, BEING ABLE TO QUANTIFY THAT MIGHT HELP WITH WHAT IS, YOU KNOW, OTHERWISE [00:55:01] JUST A, A TOUGH EMOTIONAL ISSUE. SO THANK YOU. OKAY. LAST COMMENT OF THE DAY. UM, SO, UH, THE LOS CERTAS WETLANDS TASK FORCE WAS, IS A SIERRA CLUB ENTITY THAT WAS CREATED IN RESPONSE TO, UH, OIL DRILLING BY VOLUME BEING EXPANDED IN THE LOS CERRITOS WETLANDS AS A RESULT OF A PROJECT THAT WAS APPROVED, UH, IN 2018. AND IT WOULD, THIS ONE PARTICULAR PROJECT WOULD EXPAND OIL DRILLING FROM 300 BARRELS A DAY TO 24,000 BARRELS A DAY. SINCE THEN, WE ARE, WE'VE GOTTEN INVOLVED IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT ISSUES. EVERYTHING FROM, UH, BEING CONCERNED WITH COASTAL BIRD WORKIES IN ALAMEDA BAY, THE IMPACT OF FIREWORKS, AND NOW WE'RE WORKING WITH OTHER SIERRA CLUB ENTITIES IN THE CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY, DIVERSITY WHO'VE COME TO TOWN TO TRY TO HELP LONG BEACH GET OFF OF OIL. AND THIS IS REALLY CHALLENGING. UM, I JUST, UH, AND THE PORT AS WELL. SO I JUST WANTED YOU GUYS TO KNOW THAT THIS, ON NOVEMBER 7TH AND EIGHTH, THERE'S GONNA BE TWO HEARINGS, PUBLIC HEARINGS, ONE VIRTUAL ONE, ONE IN PERSON THAT THE PORT IS PRESENTING ON, UH, ON A NEW, A NEW STORAGE FOR, UH, FOR OIL IN THE PORT. OF COURSE, WE DON'T WANT THAT. WE DON'T WANT EXPANDED STORAGE FOR OIL, WE DON'T WANT EXPANDED DRILLING. IT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU MIGHT WANNA TUNE INTO. UM, THE OTHER THING IS THAT THE SENATE BILLS SENATE BILL 1137, WHICH IS NOW UP FOR A REFERENDUM VOTE, UM, AND IS, IS SUSPENDED OR REALLY DOESN'T EXIST ANYMORE, THAT WAS PASSED, UH, WOULD'VE GONE INTO EFFECT THIS YEAR. AND, AND ANOTHER SENATE BILL, SENATE BILL 7 0 4, WHICH WAS SIGNED BY THE GOVERNOR AND SHOULD GO INTO EFFECT IN JANUARY. BOTH, BOTH CHANGE THINGS A LOT. THE SECOND BILL CHANGES THE COASTAL ACT. IT ELIMINATES THE LOOPHOLE FOR OIL AND GAS. IT'S REALLY, UH, WORTH STUDYING FOR TO HAVE THIS COMMITTEE. I REALLY HOPE AND STAFF WOULD STUDY THE IMPACT OF THIS BILL. THE SAME WAY THAT THE CITY IS STUDYING THE IMPACT OF SB 1137. NOT ONLY ON OUR REVENUES, THOUGH, NOT ONLY BEING SORT OF LIKE, LIKE WITHER. YES, IT'S SCARY TO LOSE REVENUE, A REVENUE STREAM. WE, WE HAVE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF REVENUE FROM OIL AND GAS, MILLIONS, OF COURSE WE SPEND, WE TAKE RISK WITH THAT, RIGHT? AND, AND THERE ARE HEALTH IMPACTS JUST LIKE WITHER. SO WHAT WE WOULD SAY IS WE WOULD LIKE A MORE FROM THIS COMMITTEE AND THE CITY IN GENERAL, JUST A MORE BALANCED PERSPECTIVE ON, YEAH, IT'S, IT'S BAD NEWS MONEY WISE, BUT HEALTHWISE, IT'S ACTUALLY A BENEFIT, RIGHT? TO, TO TRY TO LEAVE OIL IN THE GROUND. SO ANYWAY, THOSE TWO THINGS. LOOKING INTO SB UH, 7 0 4, WHICH WILL NO LONGER CONSIDER OIL AND GAS DEVELOPMENT TO BE A COASTAL DEPENDENT, UM, ACTIVITY OR COASTAL DEPENDENT, I THINK IT'S ACTIVITY. AND ALSO WILL FORCE OIL AND GAS TO LIKE EVERY OTHER BUSINESS ON THE COAST. LIKE EVERYONE ELSE, EVERY HOMEOWNER THAT BUILDS A PIER, EVERY BUSINESS THAT OFFER A FISHING BUSINESS OR A RETAIL BUSINESS HAS TO COMPLY WITH COASTAL ACT. CHAPTER THREE, REGULATIONS REGARDING ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS AND PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY, OIL AND GAS WAS EXCLUDED. THANK FROM THAT. THANK YOU. YOUR TIME IS OUT. SO NOW THEY AREN'T. OKAY. THANK YOU. SORRY TO HAVE GONE OVER. THANK YOU FOR PUBLIC COMMENT TODAY, AND I THINK WE ARE READY [ADJOURNMENT] TO ADJOURN THIS MEETING. THANK YOU FOR COMING. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.