Albany Climate Action Committee 12-20-23

The City of Albany Climate Action Committee met on December 20th, 2023 to discuss matters related to policy, education, and new updates to a number of programs. The next meeting will be held on January 17th, 2024.

Building Electrification Review
Community Development Analyst Michelle Plouse reviewed electrification goals and how the city is working on them. The city intends that (by 2045) 98% of residential buildings will be electrified, along with 95% of commercial and new buildings will be electric to reduce emissions. Along with city incentives, there are plenty of other incentives provided by the federal government. One example is the upcoming High-Efficiency Electric Home Rebate Act (HEEHRA) rebate plan. The city is still working on home electrification planning and educating the public about electrification benefits, as well as electrifying multifamily buildings and increasing equity.

Active Transportation Plan Update
Justin Fried, Transportation and Sustainability Manager, provided an update on the active transportation plan (ATP). The current ATP was adopted in 2012, and includes data, plans, future projects, etc. The next steps for this plan are consultancy and adoption of proposals to introduce projects.

Climate Emergency Declaration
The committee then welcomed an action item on a resolution declaring a climate emergency. Along with the staff resolution, committee member Troy Hodges had also created a resolution meant to act as a declaration rather than an action plan. Members realized the importance of adding clauses about the youth in Albany, and community outreach and specific action terms. Hodges then moved to create a subcommittee with Mark Meldgins and Katy Vigil-McClanahan to work on developing a better resolution to present at future meetings.

–Haadiyah Mohammed