RESOLUTION NO. ______, SERIES 2022
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A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF ESTABLISHING A SCIENCE-BASED TARGET OF NET ZERO GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS COMMUNITY-WIDE BY 2040 IN LOUISVILLE/JEFFERSON COUNTY (AS AMENDED).
BODY
SPONSORED BY: COUNCIL MEMBERs GEORGE, Hollander and Arthur
WHEREAS, Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government (“Metro”) is committed to investing in efforts to counter climate change by reducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions;
WHEREAS, Metro has experienced the negative effects of climate change, including flooding, increased average temperatures, and extended heat waves; these negative effects have disproportionately devastated vulnerable communities, including low-income communities and communities of color who bear a higher than average cost burden from rising utility bills and damage to health and property;
WHEREAS, Metro is obligated to protect its citizens from the negative effects of climate change;
WHEREAS, reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a critical step in countering the negative effects of climate change and improving the health and well-being of all Louisvillians;
WHEREAS, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (“IPCC”), the foremost scientific authority on climate change, states that exceeding one and one-half degrees (1.5⁰) Celsius in average global temperature, even temporarily, will have catastrophic and irreversible effects;
WHEREAS, the IPCC states that greenhouse gas emissions must decrease immediately, be halved by 2030, and reach net zero by mid-century in order to limit global warming;
WHEREAS, Metro is a signatory to the Cities Race to Zero; and Metro is committed, along with over one-thousand other cities across the globe, to meet its pledge of net zero carbon emissions by the 2040’s;
WHEREAS, the Legislative Council of the Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government (“the Council”), in Resolution 102-19, set goals for Metro to achieve one hundred percent renewable electricity use for government operations by 2030, one hundred percent clean energy use for government operations by 2035, and one hundred percent clean energy use community wide by 2040, and since then, Metro has achieved energy cost savings of over $1.2 million by increasing energy efficiency in government operations;
WHEREAS, Metro’s Office of Advanced Planning and Sustainability has completed a Greenhouse Gas Emissions (“GHG”) Inventory, a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Plan, and a Climate Adaption Plan, all of which outline key implementation strategies to reduce GHG emissions;
WHEREAS, Metro has recently partnered with the National Renewable Energy Lab to create a renewable energy plan which will help Louisville achieve its goal of one hundred percent clean electricity for government operations by 2030;
WHEREAS, the Council acknowledges that many of Metro’s agencies, including the Office of Advanced Planning and Sustainability, the Air Pollution Control District, Metro’s Fleet and Facilities, Public Works, and the Office of Community Development already have programs and projects underway to reduce emissions;
WHEREAS, Metro has the expertise and access to technical resources to successfully achieve its commitment to reduce emissions;
WHEREAS, historic federal legislation, such as the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, will further incentivize the adoption of lower-emissions technologies by offering consumer tax credits for energy efficient and clean energy solutions like heat pumps, solar panels, electric vehicles, home energy efficiency rebates, and more, all of which will put the United States on a path to reducing GHG emissions by roughly forty percent by 2040; and
WHEREAS, climate disasters have cost Kentucky over $1 billion, and the United States $145 billion in 2021 alone, and the adoption of emissions mitigating solutions will save Louisville Metro and its residents those excessive costs associated with higher temperatures, natural disasters, and adverse health conditions.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OF THE LOUISVILLE/JEFFERSON COUNTY METRO GOVERNMENT (THE COUNCIL) AS FOLLOWS:
Section I: The Council supports achieving net zero GHG emission reductions community-wide by 2040 (Scope 1, 2, and 3) in accordance with prior legislation and Louisville’s commitment to Cities Race to Zero.
Section II: The Council supports an interim target of a fifty percent reduction in community-wide GHG emissions by 2030.
Section III: The Council urges the Office of Advanced Planning and Sustainability to prepare and implement accelerated timelines for its existing strategies contained in its Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Plan and to explore additional strategies that will achieve its emission reduction goals.
Section IV: The Council urges the Office of Advanced Planning and Sustainability to coordinate with all Louisville Metro departments and agencies to ensure the incorporation of its community-wide emissions reduction targets into Louisville’s capital projects and standard operations as the Metro budget allows; where-ever this is found to not be practical, the department or agency so affected shall explain its reasoning and identify necessary investments or policy changes, if any, to enable the achievement of the science based, GHG emissions reduction target.
Section V: This Resolution shall be effective upon its passage and approval or otherwise becoming law.
_______________________________ _____________________________
Sonya Harward David James
Metro Council Clerk President of the Council
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Greg Fischer Approval Date
Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGALITY:
Michael J. O’Connell
Jefferson County Attorney
By: ___________________________________
R-157-22 A Resolution in Support of Est. a Target of Net Zero GHG Emissions JDF 092822