San Francisco City Departments add carbon offsets to their air travel budget

March 2, 12:09 PMSF Green Business ExaminerReenita Malhotra

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Golden Gate Bridge (Environmental Leader)

In a continued commitment towards sustainability, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is now requiring the city’s various government departments to declare how much they plan to spend on air travel. 

The Mayor would like San Francisco city departments to pay 13 percent of their air-travel costs to generate money for a carbon-offset fund to pay for local projects that would reduce emissions. The fund will be overseen by San Francisco's Department of the Environment.

How much money the 13 percent fee could generate is still unclear. Previously, city departments paid for air-travel costs from a lumpsum travel budget that included the cost of hotels and per diem. Departments budgeted this fiscal year a total of $2.5 million for travel costs. A fraction of this was allocated to airfare.

The 13 percent travel charge appears to be in line with an overall attempt to cut city costs. San Francisco's departments are cutting costs across the board as as the city faces a $460 million budget deficit next fiscal year.

“If the 13 percent charge causes departments to reconsider and reduce air-travel expenses, all the better,” said Nathan Ballard, Gavin Newsom's spokesperson. “We expect that departments will budget only for what travel is absolutely necessary.”

Mayor Gavin Newsom's actions are entirely in line with the Federal administration's agenda for a green economy.