CB council struggling with draft Climate Action Plan

More emissions in town for the right reasons not a bad thing….

[  By Mark Reaman  ]

The Crested Butte town council did not exactly embrace the first draft of the Climate Action Plan (CAP) in its totality last week. A one-hour work session on June 3 brought forth many suggested changes and clarifications from council members and even a statement of disappointment in some of the elements of the draft plan.

The 2030 CAP is in its second phase of development and Monday’s review document included a greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory comparing 2017 emissions to those in 2022, identified potential success measures and goals and had a so-called Challenge Statement. 

The council expressed some confusion over the data in the GHG inventory. Some of the figures included in the report were gathered using different collection techniques between 2017 and 2022. “While the 2017 emissions data presented in this report have been updated to align more closely with current best practices, caution should still be exercised in comparing the 2022 and 2017 inventory results due to significant differences in methodology,” the report stated. For example, some of the 2022 data included GHG emissions estimated to come from energy lost in the natural gas distribution not calculated in 2017. 

Still, the inventory indicated that in 2022, 90% of the town’s total GHG emissions came from energy use in buildings. About 7% came through transportation.

Councilmember Anna Fenerty questioned the new methodology used to collect the data. “Can we separate out the change so it is easier to understand? Can we lay it out clearer,” she asked.

Councilmember Gabi Prochaska asked if the data showed how many more buildings were in town in 2022 compared to 2017. Staff said they could obtain that detail.

Mayor Ian Billick said the 2022 data over emissions loss in the natural gas distribution system were not specific to Crested Butte so could probably be estimated for 2017 in the same manner.

Painting the picture

Councilmember Beth Goldstone, a member of the CAP committee, said the report could make the inventory numbers clearer and more relevant to the average person in town. “The inventory should help us paint a better picture to see how the town can support people living more efficiently and if we are moving the needle in that regard,” she said. “When we use different methodologies to collect data, it doesn’t help me understand if we’re doing better, worse or the same – because we can’t compare the two numbers, and it doesn’t help me in terms of next steps for policy.”

Billick said the town is pursuing two strategies to attack greenhouse gas emissions. One is to bring more people into town to live more efficiently and the other is to use more electricity than natural gas. He said increases in total emissions or emissions associated with electricity in the town are not necessarily bad in the larger context. “The report comes across as ad hoc and confusing,” he said. “We actually want people using more electricity.” 

Goldstone indicated that simply reducing the overall amount of GHG in town doesn’t support the council’s idea of climate action if it’s done by decreasing population, businesses moving out of town or measuring in a different methodology. “Instead, we want to be able to have our population and business in town, operate at the most efficient level possible in terms of GHG emissions. That’s what the inventory and CAP should support,” she said. 

“We are trying to get more people into town so that it results in a smaller carbon footprint,” added councilmember Jason MacMillan. 

Town manager Dara MacDonald also pointed out that tourists play a significant part in town emissions and they were trying to figure out the best way to take them into account. 

Be real

Billick pushed to have the CAP be focused and based in reality. He warned against having too many extraneous items in the plan that sounded good but did not significantly contribute to reducing GHG emissions. “I think it is a really urgent issue,” he said. “We don’t have the luxury of fuzzy thinking. I was disappointed with the inventory. If we’re serious, we have to up our game.”

He pointed out that the town and community had had an impact in greening the electric grid. “(GCEA’s wholesale electric supplier) Tri-State used to be all about coal but they are now being more aggressive about renewables. Tri-State greening the grid can be impactful. Can we advocate for even faster greening of the grid? That is something attainable. That is actually big.”

MacMillan agreed that having a realistic plan was important, but he also was not against having aspirational goals. “What is our moon shot,” he asked.

Keeping it real, Billick indicated the town plan should focus on things the town can control. “A huge amount of emissions come from buildings and we control buildings and to some extent transportation,” he said. “We own the building code and transit potential. Focusing on critical tools we control makes sense.”

In the proposed Challenge Statement, the council agreed it was a little too long, nebulous and unfocused.

“There is too much packed in there,” said Fenerty. “There is too much extra verbiage and we don’t need to pat ourselves on the back so much.”

“I’m not sure we need the historical beginning to set the stage,” said Prochaska. 

“We could say climate is a serious issue and we need to figure out how to respond to it,” said Billick. “It seems the council consensus should be shorter and sharper.”

Be smart

As for specific goals, Billick said it has to be smart and reflect what the town is trying to achieve. Prochaska said she liked having quantifiable goals to focus on. MacMillan liked the idea of tying the goals to what it means per capita for residents. Fenerty said given how fast technology was changing in the climate world, she appreciated the ability of the town to quickly pivot to what works.

“Where do we want to be on the innovation curve,” asked Billick. “We are on the forefront of electrification so that means we are working through some issues. If you want to be ahead of the issues, there will be some mistakes but that is probably okay.”

A discussion over the phrase “balancing nature-based vs. technological solutions” brought council discussion. “To me that hit me like climate change was not serious,” said Billick. “It was a red herring bringing a lot of confusion. Does nature-based solution mean getting rid of engines? Would we choose a nature-based solution even if it doesn’t matter? What actually makes a difference?”

CAP committee member Donny Davol explained the idea was to use things like wetlands and soil for carbon sequestration if possible. Another CAP committee member, Nicole Blaser, said one example that came up was cutting down a forest to place a solar array. Balance was needed when making climate solution decisions. 

Billick brought up the idea of including things like composting in the CAP. He again emphasized staying focused on cutting emissions. “Composting doesn’t really reduce emissions efficiently and there are better ways to spend money on making an impact. This is a serious issue,” he said. “If we have a million dollars and spend it on a composting plant, that means there might be five better things that have more impact with emissions that won’t get funding. What are the opportunity costs involved? Is it just pretending? Are we doing things just to feel good?” 

Prochaska argued that some elements of the CAP could provide leadership on things that better the valley and planet in general. “I don’t think addressing something like composting in the plan is pretending,” she said. 

Blaser said she would gather the data on how composting reduces methane, a much more serious greenhouse gas than even carbon.

“Overall, I’d like to include in the plan the idea of self-sufficiency. How this is an island in the mountains, and we can be self-reliant,” said Fenerty. “I’m also excited to see the public outreach involving as many generations as we can with this plan.”

Town staff will take the feedback and make some adjustments. They are also starting a public outreach campaign to gather public feedback on the CAP.