In January, Boise's Public Works Director Steve Burgos gave the City Council an update on the Renewable Energy Strategy*. One of several energy related plans in the works at Boise, Burgos explained that the intention of the Renewable Energy Strategy is to “project out and really frame what our energy future looks like and what we would like it to look like,” including the setting of community clean energy goals.
The presentation started with an overview of the impressive range of actions Boise has taken on local climate solutions. While Boise began energy efficiency and sustainability projects over a decade ago, increasingly the scope of that work has centered on energy policy. This also includes a shift to proactive energy planning in the past three years that incorporates a larger scope of analysis and partners within the community.
A sample of Boise’s innovative work includes a model house for energy efficiency upgrades, aggressive energy reduction goals for municipal buildings detailed in the 2015 Livability Report, and the groundbreaking construction of the first commercial zero net energy facility in the state.
Most recently, Boise led on energy efficiency in the Treasure Valley with the adoption of updated building codes at the end of 2017. This move, which signaled a big step from Boise as they engaged external actors on energy reduction, was met with overwhelming community support. All of these initiatives are very impressive and deserve to be recognized as truly innovative work.
A Shift to Clean, Renewable Energy
At its core, energy planning in Boise will require a significant shift away from fossil fuels currently used to generate our electricity to renewable energy resources. Boise residents, businesses and local government all get electricity from Idaho Power, and in 2016 Idaho Power's energy mix was comprised of 43 percent fossil fuels (coal, diesel, gas, market purchases). These fuel sources represent a signifcant risk for our climate, the future stability of energy prices, and the health of our community.
City Council Members prioritized the Renewable Energy Strategy with funding in the 2017 budget recognizing that proactive clean energy planning was the next obvious challenge to achieving Boise's sustainability vision. The Renewable Energy Strategy is the vehicle Boise will use to redefine the future of our energy by setting ambitious clean energy goals based on their technical, financial and regulatory feasibility.
Burgos presents a case that the shift to clean energy represents the opportunity for Boise to realize substantial benefits which he breaks down into three concept buckets:
Economic Development: A growing number of companies are setting clean energy goals, including 125 major corporations that have committed to 100% clean energy, making access to clean energy a requirement for doing business in the modern economy. Burgos posits that among the companies committed to renewables are the type of companies city leaders want as part of Boise's business community.
Security & Resilience: Boise residents, businesses, and local government spend $564 million on fossil fuels every year ($181M oil, $325M natural gas, $58M coal), much of which flows out of our community into other states and countries. This represents a huge risk by exposing residents to volatile markets and geopolitical tensions that can affect future energy prices. The continued use of fossil fuels also jeopardizes the future probability of a safe climate. A study commissioned last year called the Boise Climate Adaptation Assessment highlights that the most significant climate impacts Boise will experience are heat stress, air quality, and water related issues.
Local Economy: If Boise begins investing our energy dollars into the local economy, we will see growth in clean energy employment and investments in our community. Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance projected that if the $564 million spent on fossil fuels were transferred to Boise’s clean energy future, it could fund solar power on 35,778 buildings, purchasing 2,254 zero emission electric vehicles, heat 11,304 commercial buildings with geothermal energy**. While not every energy dollar can be captured, we have seen city leadership foster requirements for local clean energy procurement that ensure the economic benefits of clean energy are experienced locally.
This set of considerations provides a compelling platform for setting ambitious goals to capture the benefits of a clean, renewable energy transition here in Boise.
Next Steps for Boise
Staff at the City of Boise will continue to work on the Renewable Energy Strategy through the spring with plans of setting a final community clean energy goal by the end of summer. Throughout the process, staff will continue to engage internal stakeholders at the city while also reaching out to external partners to help guide the work. The Boise City Council has been incredibly supportive of these types of energy initiatives and a driving force behind the vision of Boise's sustainable future.
In particular, Council President Lauren McLean voiced support of the work being done by staff and praised their efforts to set a course for implementation on clean energy that is achievable, but she also opened the door to make room for aspiration as part of the process, saying "I believe that we can get there with a thoughtful approach but with some of the aspiration that we need for transit and other things to push ourselves to get to that point sooner than it might seem that we likely could.”
For our part, the Idaho Chapter Sierra Club has been a public champion of municipal leadership on clean energy in Idaho for the past two years. The core of our work has been focused on driving a public conversation about the role cities play in defining a clean, affordable energy future for residents. Throughout the course of our work in Boise we have engaged thousands of Boise residents, developed relationships with our city leaders, and elevated support for a clean energy goal in Boise. The work done by Boise staff on the Renewable Energy Strategy and reaction from City Council are exactly the kind of leadership we have been anticipating from Boise, and we look forward to continuing to amplify their message.
“I am very supportive, as you know, of the notion that we should be 100% clean energy” said Council President Lauren McLean, “and I look forward to seeing the report to see where we are and how we can get there."
Send a note to the Boise City Council and the Mayor to thank them for this amazing work.
*Watch Boise's Public Works Director Steve Burgos give the Renewable Energy Strategy update to the Boise City Council starting at 2 hours and 43 minutes