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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Acceptance of the Climate Action Plan RESOLUTION NO. 23-356 RESOLUTION APPROVING ACCEPTANCE OF THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN FOR THE CITY OF AMES,IOWA WHEREAS, the City Council has placed a high value on promoting environmental sustainability. To address this goal and reduce Ames' carbon footprint, the City Council first approved a Community Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory in summer 2020 after working with paleBLUEdot on this foundational step towards the development of a Climate Action Plan(CAP). The GHG Inventory helped in modeling current emission levels and the expected future emissions if no intentional climate action initiatives were implemented; and, WHEREAS, upon the completion of the GHG inventory, City staff worked on an RFP to solicit proposals that would help set a carbon reduction target and develop relevant, achievable, and cost-effective strategies to achieve carbon reduction goals. Also included in the RFP scope of work was a public engagement plan for collecting diverse and inclusive input and feedback from residents, schools, and businesses. Sustainability Solutions Group(SSG)was selected to guide the City through the CAP process by working closely with the City's Project and Technical Teams as well as the Mayor-appointed Supplemental Input Committee representing twelve community sectors; and, WHEREAS, in accordance with the City Council's commitment to emphasize a robust public engagement plan the following initiatives were undertaken: 1. A Climate Action Plan website was created; 2. Three public surveys were placed on the City's website, along with paper copies being available at the Ames Public Library. When available, volunteers would staff a table at the Library to assist people who wanted to take the survey. The surveys focused on target setting, the Six Big Moves, and CAP barriers to implementation. Each survey received hundreds of responses; 3. Six public meetings with the Supplemental Input Committee were held; 4. Five public workshops with the Ames City Council as the Steering Committee for the project; 5. An in-person Town Hall Meeting and a virtual ISU Student Town Hall meeting were held; 6. Questions related to Climate Action issues were added to the 2022 and 2023 Resident Satisfaction Survey; 7. The Project Team responded to dozens of requests for speakers representing hundreds of residents. The Team continues to provide updates and information whenever asked to present, as well as providing CAP information at City of Ames events; and, WHEREAS, the first step in the CAP process was establishing an emissions reduction target and SSG presented to the City Council four options for carbon reduction targets ranging from 1) 83% reduction by 2030 and net-zero by 2050; 2)Net-zero by 2050; 3) 45% reduction by 2030 and net-zero by 2050; and 4) no predetermined target by 2030 until after modeling was complete and net-zero by 2050. Of these options, the City Council voted for the target to reduce emissions by 83% reduction in greenhouse emissions from 2018 levels by 2030, and net-zero emissions by 2050. This net-zero target by 2050 is in line with global best practices for reducing emissions so communities do not significantly contribute to exceeding a 1.5-degree Celsius increase in global temperature; and, WHEREAS, once the target was decided, SSG identified the path needed to achieve the City Council's goal of reducing the carbon emissions in our community. With such an aspirational target, the path to achieving carbon reduction in the timeframe identified requires bold moves, substantial investment, and significant policy changes. SSG modeled the path forward in a document entitled the "Six Big Moves," which separated carbon reduction into six concentrated areas with approximately 30 carbon reduction action steps; and, WHEREAS, the Six Big Moves are: 1. Building retrofits; 2.Net-zero new construction; 3. Renewable energy generation;4.Reducing vehicle emissions; 5.Increase active transportation and transit use; 6. Reduce waste emissions; and, WHEREAS, the Big Moves and associated action steps were presented to the Council on April 5,2022. The Council recognized that the costs of becoming a carbon-neutral community are substantial. While many costs around reducing emissions are decreasing as technology improves, the investment will still be significant. However, many of the strategies for decarbonization offer co-benefits and result in savings; and, WHEREAS, as a result of the Six Big Moves presentation, the Council directed staff to analyze the Big Moves and action steps using the following criteria: 1. Cost; 2. Amount of administrative effort needed; 3. Feasibility of achievement; 4. Legal feasibility; 5. Funding sources; 6. Impact on residents in terms of property taxes,utility rates, etc.; 7. Impact on inclusion; 8. Cost compared to the tonnage of carbon reduced; and, WHEREAS,the analysis was coordinated with members of the City's Technical Team and the results were presented in a Staff Report to the City Council on November 15, 2022. The estimated cost of implementing all action steps is $3.2 billion. This estimate is the"undiscounted" cost meaning the cost before applying any changes in interest or tax rates that impact the value of the dollar; and, WHEREAS, as a result of this analysis, the staff presented to the City Council an initial implementation plan which includes the following seven action steps: 1. Increase wind and solar generation as part of the Electric Services portfolio. 2. Waste to Energy improvements to help reduce waste emissions. 3. New construction: changes to Zoning Ordinance to include specific design features that support being both net-zero ready and passive building design,requiring net-zero ready and passive design as part of annexation and contract rezoning, and/or implementing a new tax abatement program to incentivize new construction to be net-zero ready and passive design. 4. Implement a pilot program to incentivize retrofitting older homes in the Ames Electric Services territory. 5. Retrofit municipal buildings by first hiring a consultant to conduct a study of each building and provide recommendations for a long-range capital improvements plan for these projects. 6. Electrify the municipal fleet(non-CyRide) as technology as availability allow. 7. Create a Mayor's CAP Leadership Task Force from the various public and private entities that are crucial to meeting the City Council's carbon reduction goals. WHEREAS, an overall conclusion was that the CAP is intended to be a high-level plan for decision-making that supports a low carbon future for the entire community. Not only is the City expected to make changes to its own operations, but the community must be transitioning, as well if we are to achieve the City Council carbon reduction goal; and, WHEREAS,upon sharing the staff analysis with SSG,they developed a draft of the overall Climate Action Plan including an implementation plan that incorporated the action steps outlined in the analysis. The draft CAP was provided to the Project and Technical Teams and the Supplemental Input Committee for review and comment. Following that review step, SSG presented a revised draft CAP to the Council on April 18, 2023. This workshop was the first time the City Council was able to review the full text of the proposed CAP. It was noted that the latest modeling conducted by SSG indicated that the proposed action steps from the Six Big Moves could achieve a carbon reduction target of 71% by 2030 and 94% by 2050, which is slightly less than the original target; and, WHEREAS, SSG presented the cost of implementing all action steps, a $3.2 billion estimate, as well as the anticipated savings from the federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in the amount of $770 million (Attachment A, slides 12-15). It is important to understand that the majority of the IRA savings are in the form of tax credits that will need to be individually applied for; and, WHEREAS,the draft CAP document was made available for public input through May 26 and approximately thirteen comments were received. All comments were forwarded to SSG for consideration in incorporating into the CAP and the following changes were made: a paragraph was added on page 15 in the introduction to the Executive Summary to explain what adopting a CAP means; Colors in the wedge diagram on page 50 were adjusted to increase clarity; The amounts representing savings on page 69 were made to represent negative for clarity. Footnotes were added to explain that the use of a discount rate is standard practice and that the actual amount received would most likely be smaller; a footnote was added on page 71 to explain that electrical transmission infrastructure costs were not included in the total estimate; and a footnote was added on page 85 to explain that the availability of low-interest financing can be an obstacle in unlocking the benefits and savings of the CAP; and, WHEREAS, the final step in the City's Climate Action planning process is for the City Council to accept the CAP. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Ames, Iowa, that acceptance of the Climate Action Plan is hereby approved. ADOPTED THIS 131h day of June, 2023. Renee kall, City Clerk John A. Haila, Mayor Introduced by: Beatty-Hansen Seconded by: Rollins Voting aye: Beatty-Hansen, Betcher, Corrieri, Gartin, Rollins Voting nay: None Absent: Junck Resolution declared adopted and signed by the Mayor this 13th day of June, 2023.