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2. City of Pleasanton 2005 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory <br />2.1. Methods <br />ICLGI assists local governments in systematically tracking energy and waste related activities within their <br />jurisdiction, and in calculating the relative quantities of greenhouse gases produced by each activity and <br />sector. 'the greenhouse gas inventory protocol involves performing two assessments: I) a comntttnity- <br />wide assessment, and 2) a separate inventory of municipal facilities and activities. The municipal <br />inventory is a subset of the cotnmuttity inventory. <br />Once completed, these inventories provide the basis for policy development, the quantilcation of <br />emissions reductions associated with proposed measures, the creation of an emissions forecast, and the <br />establishment of an informed emissions reduction target. <br />2.1.1. CPCPSoftveare <br />I'o facilitate community efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, ICLEI developed the Clean Air and <br />Climate Protection (CACP) software package in partnership with the State and "territorial Air Pollution <br />Program Administrators (STAPPA), the Association of Local Air Pollution Control Officials <br />(ALAPCO)~, and "torrie Smith Associates. 'this software calculates emissions resulting fi~om energy <br />consumption and waste generation. The CACP software detet'tnines emissions using specific factors (or <br />coefficients) according to the type of fuel used. CACP aggregates and reports the three main greenhouse <br />gas emissions (COz, CI Ia, and N,O) in terms of equivalent carbon dioxide units, or COze. Converting all <br />emissions to equivalent carbon dioxide units allows for the consideration of different greenhouse gases in <br />comparable terms. Por example, methane (CHa) is twenty-one times more powerful than carbon dioxide <br />on a per weight basis in its capacity to trap heat; so the CACP software converts one metric ton of <br />methane emissions to 2l metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents. The CACP software is also capable <br />of reporting input and output data in several formats, including detailed, aggregate, source-based and <br />time-series reports. <br />The emissions cocfficicnts and quantification method employed by the CACP software are consistent <br />with national and international inventory standards established by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate <br />Change (1996 Revised IPCC Guidelines for the Preparation of National Inventories) and the U.S. <br />Voluntary Greenhouse Gas Reporting Guidelines (F,IA form 1605). <br />The CACP software has been and continues to be used by over 400 U.S. cities, towns and counties to <br />reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. However, it is worth noting that, although the software provides <br />Pleasanton with a sophisticated and useful tool, calculating emissions from energy use with precision is <br />difficult The model depends upon numerous assumptions, and it is limited by the quantity and quality of <br />available data. With this in mind, it is useful to think of airy specific number generated by the model as <br />an approximation, rather than an exact value. It should also be understood by policy makers, staff; and the <br />public that the final total may change as new data, emissions coefficient sets, and better estimation <br />methods become available. <br />2.1.2.O~eatingthe In~entay <br />The greenhouse gas emissions inventory consists of two distinct components: one for the whole <br />community of Pleasanton as defined by its geographic borders, and the second for emissions resulting <br />from the City of Pleasanton's municipal operations. "the municipal inventory is effectively a subset of the <br />community-scale inventory. "Phis allows the municipal government, to track its individual facilities and <br />~ Now the National Association of Clean Air Agencies (NACAA) <br />~'I~he potency of a given gas in heating the atmosphere is defined as its Global Warming Potential, or GWP. Iror more <br />information on GWP sec: IPCC fourth Assessmem Report, Working Group 1, Chapter 2, Section 2.10. <br />2005 Qeenhotse (~s 6rissions Irnentay, Qtyot Flt~a~tat 5 <br />