Congressmen in Colorado, a major coal state in history, have passed more than 50 climate-related laws since 2019. A liquor store in the agricultural city of Morris, Minnesota, uses solar power to cool beer. Voters in Athens, Ohio have charged themselves carbon charges.Citizens of Fairfax County, Virginia, produced in teams for a year and a half Climate Action Plan on page 214..
Communities and states are accelerating efforts to combat climate change amid stagnant behavior at the national level. This week, the Supreme Court has reduced the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency to limit greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, which is one of the leading causes of global warming pollution.
Local efforts have become more important during the Trump administration, which has actively undermined environmental and climate protection. Experts now say that regional action is even more important for the United States, which is second only to China in terms of emissions, to have the opportunity to help the world avoid the worst effects of global warming.
This patchwork approach is not a substitute for a coordinated national strategy. Local governments have limited scope, authority and funding.
But as the legislative and regulatory options available in Washington, DC, become increasingly constrained, “states are very important to help the country as a whole achieve its climate goals,” the U.S. analysis team said. Kyle Clark Sutton, the manager of the company, said. A program at RMI, a clean energy think tank. “They have a real opportunity to lead. They have been leading.”
For example, Newyork and Colorado plan to reduce electricity-related emissions by more than 80% by 2030 compared to 2005 levels, according to RMI’s new state scorecard.
By excluding partisan politics from community debates on climate policy, it may be possible to reach consensus that was difficult to achieve at the national level.
That’s what happened in Morris, a city of about 5,000 in Minnesota, not far from the South Dakota border. There, the University of Minnesota Morris campus is politically leaning to the left, while the surrounding agricultural community is leaning to the right. However, both communities are widely supported and have helped shape it.Morris modelWill reduce energy consumption by 30% by 2030, produce 80% of the county’s electricity locally by 2030 (and thus guarantee that it will be sourced from renewable resources), and by 2025. We want to get rid of landfill waste.
“We have never focused on climate because we don’t have to talk about it,” said City Manager Brainhill. Local economic activity with reduced energy prices and locally produced electricity. Pointed out the merits of the increase in. .. “You can avoid it and start working.”
Morris has installed solar panels in community centers, libraries, liquor stores and city halls. We have set up a charging station for electric vehicles in our grocery stores and are working on a composting program. The university has solar panels on poles high enough for cows to graze underneath, and two wind turbines.
Biden administration’s environmental agenda
President Biden is pushing for stronger regulation, but faces a narrow path to achieving his goals in the fight against global warming.
The University of Minnesota’s West Central Research and Outreach Center uses wind energy to create fertilizers for crops that grow under turbines. This avoids the high-emission traditional fertilizer manufacturing process normally obtained from petroleum.
Mike Reese, head of renewable energy at the Research Center, said political disagreements with Troy Goodno, head of sustainability at the University of Minnesota Morris, are not a problem.
“Troy is on the more liberal side, I’m on the more conservative side,” Reese said. “But we share the same philosophy about climate change and resilience, but especially about creating wealth and making the community better for the next generation.”
Goodnough said campuses often help demonstrate the technology that was later adopted by the city. This helped the residents to consider options that they may have rejected in other ways.
“I’m people coming to me:” Hey, how did you do that solar system on your roof? “Hill said. “‘It looks a little cool.'”
One of the benefits of a community strategy is that it can be tailored to the needs of the local economy. In the case of Morris, it’s agriculture.
A vast, hot and car-dependent city, Phoenix has focused on adopting electric vehicles and mitigating their impact. Life-threatening heat wave..
The city has allocated $ 6 million primarily to plant trees in low-income areas.It installed 40 miles Cool pavement, You can lower the temperature at night.And that I have a plan By 2030, 280,000 electric vehicles will be transported to urban roads.
The city council committee that developed the plan includes not only elected officials, but also representatives of utilities, automakers and environmental justice groups. It hosted a one-time meeting between home developers who hesitated to install electric vehicle charging stations in new buildings and representatives of Ford and General Motors. Councilor Yassamin Ansari said the session seemed to help developers understand that charger installations are in line with market trends.
As the conversation moves from the local government to the state level, they tend to be more partisan.
Colorado passed a drastic climate law only after the Democratic Party gained control of both Houses of Parliament in 2018. That year, Democratic Governor Jared Polis was elected on a platform to achieve 100% clean energy in the state by 2040. 2019s HB 1261Demanded a 90% reduction in emissions from 2005 levels by 2050, but was passed without Republican support.
But outside the legislature, the law and dozens of follow-up laws have gained support from several unlikely places.
KC Becker, chair of the Colorado House from 2019 to 2021, said the meeting with the union on behalf of oil and gas workers was “a big part of getting something through.” (Mr. Becker, now the EPA’s regional administrator, spoke as a former member of the Diet rather than on behalf of the EPA.) One temptation: to help fossil fuel workers find new jobs Creation of a fair transition bureau.Congressman Allocated $ 15 million to it this year.
Xcel Energy and Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association Inc., the largest power companies in Colorado, also participated. Both plan to close the last coal-fired power plant in the state by 2030.
During Mr. Police’s election and inauguration, Xcel Voluntary pledge Parliamentarians then provided incentives to other utilities. If you submit a plan that meets the same criteria, the State Aviation Commission will not further regulate 2030 emissions.
“The majority of them have exceeded what the rules require,” said Wiltur, executive director of the Colorado Energy Office. “It created the dynamic that anyone can declare victory.”
Colorado still has a lot to do. The RMI has found that while the power sector is on track to meet its 2030 reduction targets, current policies will reduce total emissions by only 33% by 2030. (The prediction does not take into account some recent laws.)
Gap is in areas such as buildings and transportation, reducing emissions “because many private households are needed to decide to buy an electric car, electric stove, or more efficient appliances.” It’s difficult to do. Policy Manager for Western Resource Advocates, a non-profit organization operating in Colorado and six other states.
The climate plan for Fairfax County, Virginia is partly unusual because it was created by dozens of community members rather than county officials. In most cases, such programs are done top-down.
One goal of the planApproved in September, aims to educate county residents about environmentally friendly choices. Other plans include a pilot program for solar panels and electric buses in county buildings.
“Without community participation, nothing can be achieved other than creating a beautiful plan and putting it on a shelf to collect dust,” said Jeffrey C. McKay, chairman of the county’s supervisory board. Says.
A group of more than 50 residents spoke with experts, examined data, discussed, and voted for recommendations. This document identifies 12 broad strategies in five areas: building and energy efficiency, energy supply, transportation, waste and natural resources. The strategy was divided into 37 recommended actions and a narrower “activity” score.
Deb Harris, senior director of climate planning at consulting firm ICF, said Fairfax County is not an example of a specific model that every community should adopt, but an example of tailoring the process to the community. Fairfax is wealthy and highly educated, allowing enthusiastic residents to hash policies over months.
In many other places, money and resources are major constraints.
“The main obstacle is the lack of financial support to support this task,” said Marianne McQueen, a council member of Yellow Springs, Ohio, using 80% of renewable energy and others. I’m trying to make a reduction plan in my sector. .. “Our staff are very nervous.”
In the absence of many federal actions, the task of helping local governments act on climate is left to an independent group.
Yellow Springs is working with Power a Clean Future Ohio, a non-profit organization that does not charge local governments. “The desire to do that and actually doing it are two different things,” said Joe Flarida, Executive Director of the Group. Municipalities have so many pressing concerns, such as road repairs and public security, that “if we can’t find a way to fill that gap, climate targets will not be on the list.”
As the gap closes, it can become stronger.
In Ohio’s university city of Athens, 76% of voters have agreed to pay a carbon fee of 2 cents per kilowatt hour of electricity used in 2018, bringing renewable energy projects to about $ 100,000 in annual revenue. became. According to a survey of greenhouse gas emissions in Athens, per capita greenhouse gas emissions were one of the lowest in the state.
“We say the state is a democracy institute. I think the same applies to local jurisdictions,” said Ms. Tellinghuisen of Western Resource Advocates. “States can create these templates or examples to show the federal government that progress is really possible.”