A long-awaited list of proposals to fight carbon pollution and aid energy sustainability will be debated by Longmont City Council Tuesday. The second half of the recommendations are scheduled for a council hearing on July 7.
Joni Lynch hopes the ideas presented by the Climate Action Task Force and its sister group, the Just Transition Plan Committee, will be adopted by council and put into action in a reasonable amount of time.
Lynch, a member of the task force, said many timelines to put the recommendations to work have been altered by the COVID-19 outbreak. “We have to recognize that things are a little bit different now. “
City Councilwoman Marcia Martin said proposed stimulus funding along with grants could help fund some of the task force’s proposals. “That is going to be the best chance to aggressively implement this plan. And it’s a good plan,” Martin said.
The climate groups were formed last fall after city council declared a climate emergency. The resolution called for the two groups to outline a plan to make Longmont a carbon-free, sustainable city.
The composition and members of the task force were approved in early December and after convening on Dec. 18, the task force met a total of eight times. Members discussed and researched steps the city should take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, along with ways to adapt to the impacts of climate change, according to city officials.
The task force’s six focus areas are:
- Adaptation and resilience
- Building energy use
- Education and outreach
- Land use and waste management
- Renewable energy
- Transportation
The two groups were scheduled to present their recommendations to city council in April, but their presentations were postponed due to the COVID-19 crisis.
Lynch, a family resource manager at the OUR Center, said she asked that a climate action fund be created to help low-income families defray the expense of meeting climate goals.
“I wanted to make sure the cost of making Longmont 100% renewable, wouldn’t burden low- to middle-income families or small businesses,” Lynch said. “It’s a small recommendation but I think it’s important.”
City Council will meet virtually at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The meeting can be watched live through the Longmont's Youtube livestream channel or via Longmont Public Media's livestream. After the meeting, the recorded meeting video can be viewed on Youtube.
