City of Alexandria, Virginia
________________
MEMORANDUM
DATE: MAY 16, 2023
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
THROUGH: JAMES F. PARAJON, CITY MANAGER /s/
FROM: RYAN FREED, CLIMATE ACTION OFFICER
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Presentation of the Energy and Climate Change Action Plan.
BODY
_________________________________________________________________
ISSUE: Highlighting the key points of the Energy & Climate Change Action Plan (ECCAP).
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council receive and review the report, and receive periodic updates from the Office of Climate Action as to the integration of the recommendations included in the ECCAP into the Office of Climate Action’s priorities and programs.
BACKGROUND: The City Council established the Energy & Climate Change Action Task Force Plan (Resolution 2958) with 13 appointed members. This Task Force met starting in May, 2021, hosting a series of meetings, including 3 Community Workshops, to identify specific strategies and tactics the City could take in pursuit of the bold commitments included in the Environmental Action Plan 2040. The Task Force developed its Draft Action Plan, and submitted it for Public Comment in January, 2023. That public comment was accepted through February 2023.
DISCUSSION: The Energy & Climate Change Task Force took on the difficult task of putting together clear recommendations on how to tackle the complexities of achieving our climate goals. They balanced the need to be bold with an understanding of what is possible given the resources available. The report recognizes our greatest challenge is driving voluntary action across a wide range of residents and businesses, while also underscoring that our greatest resource is our community. Alexandrians have and are continuing to come together to address challenges that impact us today, will impact our next generations of Alexandrians, and doing our part to limit the destruction of climate change across the world.
This report signifies a commitment to understanding the need for actions that don’t just focus on outcomes in 2030 or 2050. Throughout this document, there is discussion of how specific actions not only achieve reductions in greenhouse gas emissions over the long-term, but also how they address the reality of climate change’s immediate impacts today. The report provides a series of 31 specific recommendations, across 5 general categories of action: Buildings, Transportation, Carbon-free Electricity, Waste, and Other actions. Of the 31 actions listed in the report, 19 are already in progress and 5 are in the design stage within the new Office of Climate Action. The remaining 7 recommended actions, all of which are identified as the responsibility of the Office of Climate Action, involve significant partnership with utilities, the Commonwealth of Virginia, or require direct involvement in regulatory proceedings at the State Corporation Commission.
The Energy and Climate Change Action Plan, while comprehensive in its recommendations, is also clear in its purpose as a document to inform policy and program decisions based on information, technology, and resources available today. The Task Force recognized the need for the City to be flexible and adaptable in achieving these goals. The report provides an excellent framework for how to prioritize certain actions and is an endorsement that many of the actions already underway in the City should be continued.
FISCAL IMPACT: None.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. ECCAP Draft_4.2023
2. Presentation
STAFF:
Emily A. Baker, Deputy City Manager
Julian Gonsalves, Assistant City Manager
Sharath Rereddy, Energy Management Analyst, Office of Climate Action
Jessica Lassetter, Civil Engineer III, Transportation & Environmental Services