Watch the Municipal Energy & Water Planning Workshop! Video or Slides  

Stakeholders recently gathered at the Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Fresno to discuss actions being taken by local governments to conserve energy and water resources while improving economies and air quality, and how the Valley can learn from these experiences. The workshop featured guest speakers that shared insightful information and case studies on water and energy policy setting.

 

Sustainable Energy Roadmap (SER) is an 18-month effort that launched in January 2015, sponsored by California’s Strategic Growth Council.  SER brings together municipal governments, regional planning agencies, community stakeholders, and technical experts to support San Joaquin Valley communities as they pursue goals related to smart growth, transportation, land use, climate, and energy.

Through participating in SER, San Joaquin Valley cities and counties can benchmark their energy and sustainable development policies and programs, identify best practices, and pursue goals that make economic sense for their communities.  The SER approach is a compelling shared services model that provides vetted, easy-to-access information, actionable resources, and tailored assistance to benefit municipalities, their residents, and local businesses.  Benefits of SER participation include:

  • Municipal partner limited program stipend (first 18 agency sign-ups)
  • Environmental & energy policy and program benchmarking
  • Customized Roadmaps focusing on clean energy, transportation, and land use
  • Goal-setting tied to regional & national best practices
  • Policy, program, and project resources and tailored assistance
  • Environmental Justice community engagement
  • Online platform and regional recognition
  • Partnerships with green employers and workforce development organizations

The SER effort has an eye on optimizing outcomes for environmentally disadvantaged communities, while delivering triple bottom line (environment, economy and equity) benefits.  Led by a collective of partners that includes the Regional Policy Council and the Madera County Transportation Commission, public agencies will benefit from regional collaboration and receive technical assistance for implementing climate-friendly policies and programs.

 san joaquinPhoto credit: YosemiteMan

Project Updates & Events

  • Briefing: Municipal Energy and Water Solutions for the San Joaquin Valley.  35 Valley stakeholders and municipal staff participated in this showcase of practical steps that can and are being taken to address significant Valley water and energy challenges. The CSU Fresno Office of Community and Economic Development hosted the event. Attendees heard from a host of practitioners about local impacts of state energy and water mandates, discussing an impressive array of resource saving approaches being taken, and the emerging technical and financial resources available to Valley jurisdictions.
  • Municipal Energy & Water Planning Workshop (Video or slides).  Stakeholders recently gathered at the Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Fresno to discuss actions being taken by local governments to conserve energy and water resources while improving economies and air quality, and how the Valley can learn from these experiences. The workshop featured guest speakers that shared insightful information and selected case studies on water and energy policy setting.  Individual presentations are posted below.

      

  • Sustainable Energy Roadmap Webinar.  This webinar introduced municipalities in California’s San Joaquin Valley to the Sustainable Energy Roadmap, an 18-month effort focused on supporting Valley communities to set and pursue goals related to smart growth, transportation, land use, climate and energy. A $5,000 stipend is available to the first 18 agencies that sign up for the program.

Regional Resources

Regional Clean Energy Incentives & Financing Programs

Regional Utility Customer Resources

Regional Partners