An aggressive environmental plan will go before the Berkeley City Council tonight that faces opposition from residents who fear it is too costly and city officials who believe its language is too ambiguous.

The Climate Action Plan-which aims to reduce the city's emissions 80 percent by 2050-addresses building energy use strategies, sustainable transportation and the costs of implementing its provisions, said Councilmember Gordon Wozniak.

Councilmember Kriss Worthington said he does not expect the plan will pass tonight because the council will discuss several amendments to it.

"Currently, it doesn't reflect the viewpoint of the City Council," he said. He added that the plan is currently scientifically outdated and lacks practical steps for implementation.

The plan, if passed, will require Berkeley homeowners to implement a series of cost-effective energy improvements to their homes, totaling $5,000 to $10,000, according to the executive summary of the plan.

Due to the ambiguous language of the plan, Worthington said residents could be required to pay an estimated $33,800 for various renovations to their homes.

Councilmembers Jesse Arreguin, Linda Maio and Worthington each said they want to amend parts of the plan to clarify its language and make its measures more reasonable.

Shirley Dean, a Berkeley resident and the city's former mayor, said she has expressed opposition to the council because of the plan's expensive mandatory provisions.

"My neighbors and I were horrified when we read it," Dean said. "I have solar panels, am replacing windows, and we buy Energy Star appliances because it's the right thing to do, not because someone is telling us to."

However, Berkeley resident Miriam Hawley said she believes the "hefty" investments are a good start to reducing the city's greenhouse gas emissions.

"We are facing a real crisis that, if not addressed now, will be far more costly in terms of dollars and human suffering than any small sacrifices we're asked to make now," she said.

By making the investments proposed in the current plan, a typical 1,500-square-foot home could reduce its overall energy consumption by between 35 to 45 percent, according to Bruce Mast, a board member of the California Building Performance Contractor Association.

In addition to home renovations, the draft calls for expanding accessibility to public transportation and the use of bikes, according to the sustainable transportation chapter of the plan.

One of the plan's more aggressive measures calls for establishing an "eco-pass" that will provide free public transportation to all residents.

However, Worthington said the pass is not feasible because tracking residents and maintaining records of those with the pass is too expensive and complicated.

Instead, he said he will suggest using personnel records from employers in Berkeley to develop a list of those who will receive the pass.

"It's all very easy paperwork-wise," Worthington said. "Through employment, you can keep track of everyone and you don't just get Berkeley residents."

Wozniak said that despite some reservations, he believes the plan's goals can be achieved.

"The final goals will be achievable with the appropriate combination of strategic investment, policy changes and technological advances," Wozniak said.

Tags: CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, BERKELEY CITY COUNCIL