Charlottesville details steps being taken to implement Climate Action Plan

There are aspirational plans in government and there are work plans that actually tell staff members what to do. Last week, the City of Charlottesville unveiled details on what’s being done to meet a goal to first reduce greenhouse gas emissions and then eliminate them completely by 2050. 

“This is a high-level list of the climate-related initiatives and projects the City is working on this year to move our community climate goals forward,” reads a press release sent out earlier this week. 

The first page of the document states that it is not a progress report but a guide to the many initiatives underway both by city government and community partners.

City initiatives range from the transit alternative fuel study that’s to be completed in the fall to planning to adapt to a climate that has already changed. The latter is being done in collaboration with Albemarle County and builds off a 2022 report on climate risks. Albemarle County produced a similar document last June.

Other city initiatives include: 

• A gas decarbonization study is being conducted by the Utilities Department and is expected to be completed this winter. (Charlottesville studying whether to end provision of natural gas, March 24, 2023).  
• A program to provide rebates to property owners for upgrading attic insulation is live. (view the program)
• A flood resilience plan is expected to be finalized in the fall of 2023. Such a plan is needed to apply for money from the Community Flood Preparedness Fund. Virginia’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative has provided revenue for that fund. How will Governor Youngkin’s decision to remove Virginia from RGGI affect future availability of funds? 
• City environmental staff will continue to conduct greenhouse gas inventories. The most recent results were published this spring. (Charlottesville releases latest data on greenhouse gas emissions, May 30, 2023)
• The plan also lists several line items in the Capital Improvement Program as contributing to climate action. These include funding for urban tree planting, bicycle infrastructure, new sidewalks, the clean energy loan fund, and conversion of streetlights to LEDs. The latter has $600,000 in the current fiscal year. 

Before you go: The time to write and research of this article is covered by paid subscribers to Charlottesville Community Engagement. In fact, this particular installment comes from the July 31, 2023 edition of the program. To ensure this research can be sustained, please consider becoming a paid subscriber or contributing monthly through Patreon.