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Fairfax CountyCommunity-wide Energy and Climate Action Plan (CECAP)

Task Force Kickoff

January 24, 2020

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Agenda

Welcome, Project Overview, Role of Task Force Welcome and IntroductionsProject Overview and CECAP Operating GuidelinesTask Force Roles & Responsibilities/Rules of OrderDiscussion and Q&A

Presentations and Background Information Global and U.S. Energy and Climate OverviewRegional and Fairfax TrendsProven Approaches in Community Energy and Climate Planning Discussion and Q&A

Wrap Up and Next Steps Review and confirm draft meeting dates for 2020Preview of next meeting 3

Office of Environmental & Energy Coordination (OEEC)

• Established July 1, 2019

• Develops and implements county’s environmental and energy policies, goals and programs

• Engages county departments, authorities, businesses and residents to advance environmental and energy initiatives and address community needs

• Work is guided by Board of Supervisor’s environmental and energy priorities and policies outlined in the Environmental Vision and Operational Energy Strategy, as well as broader priorities, such as One Fairfax

• One of the roles OEEC is tasked with includes administering CECAP

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Regional Climate Impacts and Threats

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Regional Climate Impacts and Threats

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Community-wide Energy and Climate Action Plan (CECAP)

• Community-driven plan outlining climate mitigation actions and strategies

• County will strive to educate and engage all community members throughout planning and implementation phases

• Components of planning process• CECAP technical report

• GHG inventory update• Emissions models• Mitigation actions, strategies

• Community Outreach • Online interactive tools• Fact sheets

• Planning and implementation of CECAP shall support the county’s existing social, economic and environmental goals and policies

• Strategies shall be intersectional, equitable, multi-faceted, and address all major sectors in Fairfax County

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CECAP Process

• Planning phase kicks off in 2020• Three levels of community engagement

• Task Force• Focus Groups• Community

• Review GHG inventory, models• Set climate mitigation goal(s)• Develop mitigation actions and strategies• Review final CECAP technical report• Develop community outreach strategies• Review Community Outreach Guide

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Community Engagement and Public Input

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Focus Groups8-12 member groups from each Supervisor district

• Supervisor-appointed members include representatives from:

• Civic and environmental groups

• The School Board

• Business associations

• Faith-based groups

• Boards, Authorities and Commissions

• Responsibilities:• Attend kickoff meeting

• Work virtually with Focus Group members

• Identify group leader (i.e., liaison) to serve on Task Force

• Review CECAP materials

• Provide input and advice to Task Force

• Ensure district-level concerns are addressed in the CECAP

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Energy & Climate Task Force 40-member core team

• Members include representatives from:

• Boards, Authorities and Commissions

• Building industry groups • Business community• Civic associations• Educational institutions • Faith-based organizations• Focus Group members • Local government,

including Schools and Parks• Nonprofits focused on

environmental, civil rights and other community issues

• Public health sector• Utility, water and

transportation sectors

• Responsibilities include• Develop proposed CECAP

for consideration by the Fairfax County Board

• Reflect interests of the county as a whole

• Attend Task Force meetings• Review CECAP materials• Propose GHG emissions

goals• Review and prioritize

mitigation strategies and actions

• Incorporate community and Focus Group feedback into recommendations

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Task Force Rules of Order

• Task Force members are expected to attend all meetings.

• The Task Force will be meeting up to ten times over the CECAP planning process.

• If a member is unable to attend a meeting for any reason, it is expected that they notify points of contact from Fairfax County at least 24 hours in advance (apart from unexpected conflicts or emergencies).

• A decision on alternates will be made by the Task Force at the kickoff meeting.

• Members who miss more than two (2) meetings without notice may be subject to removal from the Task Force.

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Task Force Rules of Order

• Members shall be respectful and productive during discussions and decision making. The meeting facilitator will keep meetings on-schedule and ensure desired outcomes of meetings are achieved.

• Fairfax County will post Focus Group summaries on the Fairfax County CECAP Task Force webpage no later than 3 days prior to relevant Task Force meetings.

• All other meeting materials will be posted on the Fairfax County CECAP Task Force webpage as the materials are ready and no later than one week prior to each Task Force meeting.

• Members are expected to review these materials prior to the meeting. Members may submit comments on materials in writing prior to meetings.

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Task Force Rules of Order

• Decisions by the Task Force will be made, as necessary, by a simple majority vote. Once decisions have been made, the Task Force will move forward and not revisit past decisions.

• As a public body, the Task Force must be aware of FOIA and follow the law regarding public meetings and public records. Any meeting of three or more Task Force members that discusses public business (any discussion of CECAP) is considered a public meeting, and must have be advertised, open to the public, and have minutes taken. Any written records of CECAP among Task Force members, including emails and comments, are considered public records that are able to be requested under FOIA. Any email sent to a Fairfax County employee is FOIA-able.

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Task Force Rules of Order

• Notes will be taken and compiled after each meeting.

• Correspondence after meetings will include regular email updates from Fairfax County and internal file sharing of relevant documents and materials.

• Members of the public are invited to attend Task Force meetings as observers, not as participants.

• For all comments posted to the website and notes taken at the meetings, there will be no attribution of comments or statements to specific individuals.

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Tentative Schedule of Meetings

Meeting 1 - Kick Off: Friday, January 24, 2020

Meeting 2 – GHG Inventory; Draft Goals: Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Meeting 3 – GHG Inventory Update; Finalize Goals: Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Meeting 4 – Draft actions/strategies: May 2020

Meeting 5 – Impact analyses of actions/strategies: July 2020

Meeting 6 – Draft community engagement guide: November 2020

Meeting 7 – Finalize community engagement guide: December 2020

Meeting 8 – Draft CECAP: January 2021

Meeting 9 – Finalize CECAP: March 2021

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Vote on Alternates

• It is expected that all Task Force members strive to attend every meeting.

• If alternates are allowed, the expectation is for alternates to attend everymeeting.

• As an alternate, you are not part of the discussion unless the primary Task Force member is not in attendance.

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FOIA

• Task Force members must review the FOIA statute and watch the FOIA training video. Links will be provided in a follow-up email.

• Please do not distribute the video further because it contains attorney-client privileged information.

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Discussion and Q&A

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Regional Climate Overview and Trends

MWCOG

Jeff King, Steve Walz

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Meet COG

• The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) is an independent, nonprofit association of governments

• Addresses regional issues • Transportation• Environment• Community & Planning• Public Safety & Homeland Security

• 300+ elected officials from 24 local governments

• Region Forward Vision• Prosperous, Accessible, Livable, Sustainable

Meet COG – Regional Climate Partners

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Steve WalzSenior Advisor

Jeff KingProject Manager

Maia DavisGHG Inventory & Action Plan Lead

Leah BoggsBuilt Environment & Alternate Fuels Lead

Tim MastersTechnical Support

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• Directive from the COG Board of Directors• COG Board comprised of local elected officials (County

Council & Supervisors, City Mayors)

• Established formal policy committee with supporting advisory subcommittees.• Climate, Energy and Environment Policy Committee

(CEEPC)

• Wide range of stakeholders involved –elected officials, academic, environmental organizations, business sector, transportation agencies, energy utilities.

• Short-Term Climate and Energy Action Plans

• Includes Goals & Best Practices for Government, COG, and Community/Businesses

COG Adopted 2008 Climate Report

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Regional Reduction GHG Emission

Reduction Goals

Regional Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Indicators

Source: MWCOG Climate & Energy Dashboard, 2020, at

https://www.mwcog.org/environment/data-and-tools/climate-and-energy-progress-dashboard/

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Greenhouse Gas Emissions for the Metropolitan Washington Region (2005-2015)

Source: MWCOG26

Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Fairfax County (2005-2015)

Source: MWCOG

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Fairfax County Indicators

Source: MWCOG

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Fairfax County Indicators (cont.)

Source: MWCOG

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Drivers of Change 2012-2015 Metropolitan Washington Region

Source: MWCOG

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Drivers of Change 2012-2015 Fairfax County

Source: MWCOG 31

Drivers of Change 2012-2015 Fairfax County

Source: MWCOG32

Getting to 40% - Existing Targets

Source: MWCOG, Cadmus

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Getting to 40% - Technical Potential

Source: MWCOG, ICF, Cadmus

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Regional Climate and Energy Action Plan Categories

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Lessons from Across the Region

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• Ambitious Goals for 2050

• Need for Near Term Interim Goals, Spur Action

• Sector Targets, Partnerships

• Create a Constituency for Climate

Fairfax’s Climate Action and Energy Planning through

Proven Approaches ICF

Cara Blumenthal, Deb Harris, Bill Prindle

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Meet ICF – Fairfax County’s CECAP Support

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Meet ICF – Fairfax County’s CECAP Support

Cara BlumenthalProject Manager

John Venezia Project Director

Joanne PotterEngagement Lead

Deb HarrisClimate and Energy

Planning Expert

Bill PrindleSenior Advisor

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Meet ICF – Fairfax County’s CECAP Support

• Support for dozens of leading climate action and energy plans at all levels in the US

• Federal – EPA, DOE, USDA

• State – Pennsylvania, Virginia, New Jersey, California, New York, Delaware, Colorado

• Regional - MWCOG, RGGI, Chicago, NY Southern Tier

• County – Arlington (VA), San Bernardino (CA), King County (WA)

• Cities – NYC, LA, Philadelphia, Denver

• Utilities – Con Ed, National Grid, CPS Energy

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Climate Action and Energy Planning in Context

• ~300 cities and counties in the United States are committed to We Are Still In

• 37 counties, including Fairfax• Most have or are going through climate

and energy planning efforts

• Scope and focus of the plans varies, but all relate to GHG goals

• Clean or renewable energy• Building• Transportation• Electrification

Sources: We are Still In and US Climate Alliance

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Climate Action and Energy Planning in Context

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Current Fairfax Practices

Solar Power Purchase Agreement: Fairfax County launched the largest solar power purchase agreement (PPA) initiative by a local government in Virginia to date.

School PPA RFP: As part of the solar PPA, Fairfax County will be seeking contractors to install photovoltaic cells at Fairfax County Public Schools.

Dominion EV School Bus Pilot: Dominion Energy has set a target to use 100% electric school buses by 2030. (Interim goals are to have 50 buses by the end of 2020 and 1,000 by 2025).

Electric Vehicle Charging Stations: $750,000 allocated to a two-year plan to construct up to 40 EV ready charging stations at up to 10 county sites.

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Current Fairfax Practices

Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) program will allow property owners to take out private loans for energy efficiency, renewable energy, stormwater, and climate resiliency projects. Fairfax County will place a lien on properties that take out C-PACE loans.

Green Buildings: Buildings over 10,000 square feet require a minimum of “Silver” LEED certification.

Glass Recycling: The success of Fairfax County’s glass recycling program has led to a new partnership which will allow glass dropped off by county residents to be turned into new glass products.

Tree Action Plan: The 2018 Fairfax County Tree Action Plan encourages strategic conservation and planting of trees

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Virginia Context

• GHG Goal: 30% relative to the business-as-usual scenario by 2025

• Legislative movement: Many proposed bills including the Clean Economy Act and Green New Deal Act and various renewable energy bills. This and other new legislation may cover:

• Joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative• Requiring energy efficiency and renewable energy investments• Offering incentives for private investments• Lowering barriers to investments• Lifting barriers to distributed and grid renewables• Removing limits for PPAs• Addressing net metering• Conducting state GHG accounting• Transitioning to clean energy• Addressing a range of utility structural and financial changes

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Key Elements of Planning

• Community-driven planning is an integrated process

• Each phase requires:• Drawing upon proven approaches• Doing robust engagement and targeted outreach• Conducting objective technical and economic analysis

• Successful plans have:• Community buy-in and implementation partners• Recognition of regional and state context• Well defined goals and objectives• Actions that build on existing programs and policies and

are realistic, but inspire aggressive action

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Proven Approaches for Climate Action and Energy Planning

• Targeting the largest emitting sectors• Building on existing, successful policies and programs• Effectively engaging stakeholders throughout the process to build buy-

in and implementation partnerships • Having political and executive support and direction for action• Understanding and finding dedicated funding sources • Assessing metrics and criteria that are important to the jurisdiction

and its stakeholders and will allow for tracking of progress over time• Considering implementation barriers and how to overcome them• Understanding your jurisdiction’s unique traits• Focusing on high impact and cost-effective actions

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High Impact and Cost-Effective Practices

High Impact*:• Practices with high aggregate impact potential across U.S. cities.

• Practices where cities are ready to make on-the-ground change in the short-term.

• Some may be cutting edge advanced practices; others may represent established best practices with potential to scale much more widely.

• Practices with high GHG reduction potential, each with potential to create other important benefits (e.g., resilience, equity, job creation).

Cost Effective: • Effective practices with lower implementation costs or long-term cost reductions.

• Examples include strategic renewable energy use and energy efficiency measures.

*Defined by the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN)

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General• Jurisdictions designate sectors in

different ways and use a variety of ways to organize strategies that are not necessarily sector-specific

• Sector-specific plans always tie back to an overall climate goal

• Trends are to consider co-benefits, equity, environmental justice, and quality of life

• Every jurisdiction is different; each plan is customized to the needs of community and no process is perfect

Fairfax-Specific

• The Fairfax process is relatively heavily community-driven

• Many issues to face are like those ICF is seeing across the country:

• Building stock retrofits

• Clean and renewable energy access

• Mode shifts and transportation electrification

• Consumer behavior and purchasing

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ICF’s Climate Action Planning Approaches Lessons and Observations

Deciding What’s Next – Potential Strategies

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Example Resources for Additional Info

• EPA State and Local Branch, Local Government Strategy Series: https://www.epa.gov/statelocalenergy/local-government-strategy-series

• DOE-EPA State and Local Energy Efficiency Action (SEEAction) Network: https://www4.eere.energy.gov/seeaction/

• Institute for Local Governments: https://www.ca-ilg.org/sustainability-best-practices-framework

• USDN: https://www.usdn.org/high-impact-practices.html

• ICLEI: https://iclei.org/en/our_approach.html

• GHG Protocol Series: http://www.ghgprotocol.org/sites/default/files/ghgp/standards/Mitigation_Goal_Standard.pdf and https://ghgprotocol.org/policy-and-action-standard

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Discussion and Q&A

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Wrap Up and Next Steps

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Tentative Schedule of Meetings

Meeting 1 - Kick Off: Friday, January 24, 2020

Meeting 2 – GHG Inventory; Draft Goals: Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Meeting 3 – GHG Inventory Update; Finalize Goals: Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Meeting 4 – Draft actions/strategies: May 2020

Meeting 5 – Impact analyses of actions/strategies: July 2020

Meeting 6 – Draft community engagement guide: November 2020

Meeting 7 – Finalize community engagement guide: December 2020

Meeting 8 – Draft CECAP: January 2021

Meeting 9 – Finalize CECAP: March 2021

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OEEC Climate Action News Blog & Twitter

Office of Environmental & Energy Coordination (OEEC) Climate Action News blog: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/environment-energy-coordination/climateaction/news

Twitter: @ffxgreen/#ffxCECAP

Follow for updates on the CECAP process and timely subject matter articles which will be posted on a regular basis.

Learn about the topics and trends driving the climate conversation in Fairfax County.

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Thank You!For further questions, please contact:

Maya Dhavale

Senior Community Fairfax County

Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination

12000 Government Center ParkwaySuite 533

Fairfax, VA 22035

703-324-7165 (W), 571-373-1758 (C)Maya.Dhavale@fairfaxcounty.gov

www.fairfaxcounty.gov/environment-energy-coordination

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Twitter: @ffxgreen #ffxCECAP