Report addresses county emissions

A springboard for managing energy consumption
 
New policy recommendations could help Gunnison County get ahead of the curve in reducing carbon emissions. Last week, a Carbon Policy Task Force appointed by the Gunnison County commissioners presented its carbon policy recommendations to the board. The report is extensive—considering every sector of the county’s economy, from construction to transportation to education—and could create lasting change. But first, it leaves the board and the community with some big decisions.

The county commissioners created the Carbon Policy Task Force in March 2010, after the county Planning Commission proposed regulation revisions for Special Development Projects (SDPs)—mega-projects with countywide economic or environmental impacts. Their recommendations included a requirement that all SDPs have a zero-carbon footprint by offsetting any carbon used by the project.
“As supportive as we were [of the carbon neutrality requirement],” said county commissioner Hap Channell, “we were going, ‘Wait a minute. We don’t require this of any other entity, so why would we require it of [SDPs]?’”
The commissioners determined that potential carbon emissions policies needed to be considered across every sector of the county, by county residents well versed in energy consumption, carbon emissions and economic issues. They advertised throughout the Gunnison Valley and interviewed candidates before appointing the Carbon Policy Task Force.
In the end, a group of nine residents representing a broad range of organizations in Gunnison, Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte were appointed to the task force.
The county contracted with the Office for Resource Efficiency (ORE) to provide part-time administrative support, and the group met from April 2010 through January 2011, charged with developing a comprehensive policy recommendation.
“No one section was any more important than the other,” said task force member and Planning Commission vice-chair Richard Karas. “We were explicitly instructed by the county commissioners to be even-handed across all sectors.”
To identify those sectors, the task force took its cue from the Gunnison County Emissions Inventory of 2005, a valley-wide effort by Gunnison County and the municipalities of Gunnison, Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte to understand carbon emissions and develop energy action plans to reduce emissions by 20 percent by 2020. Ten sectors were identified, including new and existing construction, subdivisions, transportation, waste, education and collaboration and, of course, SDPs.
For each sector, the task force identified policy and regulation recommendations as well as financial suggestions. Group members looked to existing models of regulation for inspiration—carbon legislation or programs from government entities around the country—but knew that adapting those programs to the specific needs of Gunnison Valley was essential.
“We have different priorities and a different climate,” said Philip Supino, Crested Butte town sustainability coordinator. “So [the process] was a combination of group brainstorming and unique ideas, and adapting existing programs to local circumstances.”
The result is a comprehensive set of recommendations. The usual suggestions made the list, like energy-efficient building codes and promoting the use of public transportation. But the task force also recommended new ways to create marketplace incentives for energy efficiency.
One example included the implementation of overage fees for building projects that fail to meet carbon emissions requirements, then using those fees to create an interest-bearing account to fund county energy projects. Another included an education campaign to encourage renters and landlords alike to look for and promote energy-efficient apartments.
As for SDPs, energy audits were recommended but the zero-carbon footprint was replaced by the recommendation that no SPD be allowed to inhibit the county’s goal of reducing carbon emissions to 20 percent below 2005 levels. (For a full copy of the report, go to www.crestedbuttenews.com.)
So far, the carbon report has been well received by the county commissioners.
“Some of the recommendations are very far reaching—and appropriately. These guys did their homework,” Channell said. “There were great minds around that table. Our jozb now as commissioners is to review the report to determine what is practical, most cost-effective, what is low-hanging fruit, and what are fiscally feasible and responsible.”
Rather than make broad, sweeping changes, the commissioners will begin reviewing the recommendations at the board’s strategic review in March. The recommendations hold widespread implications for county planning documents, housing requirements and the county’s management of its buildings and fleet. Changes will be considered and implemented as opportunity arises and as they make sense.
“The important thing to remember is that the task force’s recommendations don’t necessarily have to be implemented simultaneously,” said ORE executive director Andris Zobs. “Some may never be implemented. The policy recommendations are intentionally comprehensive in their coverage. For any one recommendation, additional work would be required to fully vet the concept.”
In fact, it’s widely accepted that much discussion remains. And while the task force intentionally focused within Gunnison County borders to create clear and concise recommendations, county manager Matthew Birnie was careful to point out that consideration of some recommendations will need to include global implications.
When the task force presented its findings, Birnie suggested that potential future energy projects may serve global, green energy needs but upset the balance of Gunnison County’s local energy consumption.
He cited a Denver Post article on green technologies as an example: old zinc mines, which are often associated with rare earth metals used in everything from smart phone technologies to the Toyota Prius, dot Gunnison County. Is rare earth metal mining imminent in Gunnison? No. But it’s the type of project that could some day come to Gunnison County, warranting this type of discussion.
“We need to think in a global sense,” Birnie later told the Crested Butte News. “Global warming isn’t something Gunnison County can control within its borders.”
In many ways, Birnie’s point speaks to the reality that the 10 months of work that went into the carbon report create a jumping-off point for Gunnison County to manage its carbon emissions—one that keeps the county forward-thinking and at the forefront of carbon regulation.
“By convening this group, and doing comprehensive analysis, it puts us ahead of the curve in understanding energy issues,” ORE’s Zobs said. “There are strong indications that energy costs are going to go up and there’s going to be increased carbon regulation from the state and federal level. So the more we can do to prepare ourselves, the better off we’ll be.”

To view the complete report, please click here .