10 Apr Austin Passes Forward Thinking Climate Protection Plan Update

Austin City Council moved on April 10, 2014 to update  the Climate Protection Plan that sets broad policy goals for the city and community at large to achieve net zero community-wide greenhouse emissions by 2050. It updates the Climate Protection Plan of 2007 in view of the increased urgency of reducing greenhouse gases and the increased opportunities for renewable power in electric generation, transportation and industry. The plan recognizes the need to reach carbon neutrality across all sectors of the city, not just city government activities as it had in the past.

The resolution was sponsored with strong leadership by Council Member Riley and co-sponsored by Council Member Spelman and Mayor Pro Tem Cole. Additional support came from Council Members Martinez, Morrison and Tovo with only Mayor Leffingwell voting no. In the consent vote, there was no discussion, but it was clear from prior meetings, discussions and council actions, that making viable and consequential long term climate goals were priorities for all these Council Members.

As with any plan, the devil is in the details and execution. Many responsibilities and action dates are built into the resolution which will require significant effort and public input. Here is the text of the draft resolution from the Austintexas.gov website. More information will be forthcoming from a press conference by the resolutions sponsors tomorrow.

RESOLUTION NO. (Draft as approved 4-10-14, final version will be posted on Austintexas.gov following official signature.)

WHEREAS, the City of Austin is committed to protecting the long-term health and viability of our community through strategies designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the effects of climate change; and

WHEREAS, according to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which is comprised of the world’s leading scientific experts in the field of climate change, to avoid the worst impacts of climate change greenhouse gas emissions need to be cut by at least 80% from 1990 levels by 2050; and

WHEREAS, the City Council passed Resolution No. 20070215-023 that established the framework for the Austin Climate Protection Plan (ACPP), which includes five major goals with supporting objectives: (1) Make all City of Austin facilities, fleets, and operations carbon-neutral by 2020; (2) Make Austin Energy (AE) the leading utility for greenhouse gas reductions; (3) Implement the most energy efficient building codes and aggressively pursue energy efficiency retrofits; (4) Create a community-wide inventory of greenhouse gases, establish short- and long-term emission reduction targets, and a comprehensive plan for meeting those targets; and (5) Develop and implement a program to assist all citizens, businesses, organizations, and visitors in achieving carbon neutrality; and

WHEREAS, as of 2010, greenhouse gas emissions in Travis County were estimated to be 15.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2e) per year, and approximately 52% of those emissions were created by energy use, 36% from transportation, and 12% from local landfills and manufacturing processes; and

WHERAS, reducing community-wide greenhouse gas emissions, especially from the transportation sector, can have a positive impact on local air quality and result in a healthier community; and

WHEREAS, in April 2010, City Council adopted the AE Resource, Generation, and Climate Protection Plan to 2020, which included specific utility strategies to meet the goals set out in the 2007 ACPP and included an affordability goal; and

WHEREAS, in December 2011, City Council adopted the Austin Resource Recovery Master Plan which includes zero waste goals, carbon footprint reduction efforts, and goals for expanding public/private partnerships; and

WHEREAS, in June 2012, City Council adopted the Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan, which established goals related to land use and transportation policies; and

WHEREAS, City Council passed Resolution No. 20131121-60 that directed the City Manager to develop climate adaptation strategies as an important missing piece to the existing ACPP, and that report will come back with recommendations for next steps by September 2014; and

WHEREAS, Council has appointed a new Generation Plan Task Force to review the AE Resource, Generation, and Climate Protection Plan to 2020 and make recommendations on the utility’s generation mix for the near future; and

WHEREAS, peer cities, including Seattle and Portland, have recently completed updates to their original Climate Action Plans, and the updates incorporate new data and information that led to establishing new long-term goals in line with the IPCC calculations; and

WHEREAS, the City of Austin has made significant progress on the goals set out in the 2007 ACPP, either meeting its goals ahead of time or being on schedule to meet its goals by 2020; and

WHEREAS, the 2007 ACPP and the current AE Resource, Generation, and Climate Protection Plan to 2020 are now reaching a point where an update is needed to ensure the City of Austin and Austin Energy continue as leaders in climate protection efforts; NOW, THEREFORE,

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN:

The City Council establishes a goal of reaching net zero community-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and prefers to achieve this goal as soon as it is feasible. The City Council also recognizes that emissions reductions accomplished sooner are more important and valuable for our city’s climate protection efforts.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

The City Manager is directed to review the goals and objectives within the 2007 Austin Climate Protection Plan and work with stakeholders to create an action plan for each major sector (energy, transportation, and waste/industrial) responsible for the community-wide greenhouse gas emissions in Austin in order to meet the new long-term goal. The action plans should include secondary goals and measures for sector-specific factors such as renewable energy, building energy use reductions, vehicle miles traveled, waste diversion rates, and more. The plans should determine what is achievable for each sector and how the other sectors could make up for any shortfalls in reaching the interim community-wide goals.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

The sector action plans should include greenhouse gas reductions that will be achieved by implementing existing City plans and also include new actions

that could reduce emissions in the short- and long-term. The action plans should take into consideration regional factors that may present challenges or opportunities, including:

 population and business growth,

 available and emerging technology,

 potential costs and benefits,

 climate preparedness and resilience, and

 barriers where the City does not exert direct control over community emissions.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

The stakeholder input process should include a mix of public input sessions, discussions with relevant Boards and Commissions, consideration of the results from the 2014 Generation Plan Task Force, and the formation of technical advisory groups to work with city staff to develop the action plans.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

The recommendations from stakeholders and city staff should also include:

 measurable interim greenhouse gas reduction targets, starting with 2020 and periodic targets until 2050,

 when and how annual progress reports will occur, and

 how often to conduct comprehensive updates to the climate protection plan.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

The City Manager shall provide a progress update to City Council by September 1, 2014, including a framework for meeting short- and long-term community-wide greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals. The City Manager should combine all applicable greenhouse gas emission reduction

strategies and climate change resiliency plans into one comprehensive Climate Protection Plan document to be presented for community review and Council adoption by March 1, 2015. ADOPTED: , 2014 ATTEST:

Jannette Goodall

City Clerk

Now we have the roadmap – now we have to work even more to make a sustainable Austin – and Texas – and U.S.A. – and world – a reality!

Time to get involved. This process has many avenues and many opportunities.