Sierra Club Great Falls Group CECAP Meeting Talking Points

 Updated Aug 24, 2020

 

This document contains CECAP talking points information generated by GFG to assist the general public in participating in the Fairfax County CECAP Public Engagement Meetings  on Aug 27th, Sept 1st and 2nd and the CECAP survey, yet to be distributed.

 

 If you have any comments/suggestions please provide them to Brian Castelli the Sierra Club CECAP team lead.

 

In late 2019, Fairfax County established a Task Force to develop a Community-Wide Energy and Climate Action Plan (CECAP).  The Plan will have two major elements: (1) climate mitigation goals to set a target for greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions; and (2) strategies and actions necessary to accomplish the GHG reduction goal.

 

The County is convening three public meetings on August 27, September 1 and September 2 that will focus on the climate mitigation goals.  These goals are critical to assure that the County establishes targets necessary to meet the urgent climate challenges that we face.  

 

We have prepared the points (below) to assist you in developing comments for the public meeting.

  • Support Task Force Option E+: an absolute emissions reduction goal of at least 87% from 2005 levels by 2050. The 87% reduction is the most aggressive numerical goal presented to the Task Force and the target year of 2050 is consistent with the recently signed Virginia Clean Economy Act. 

 

  • Attainable (versus aspirational) goals are critical in the short term so therefore it is necessary to establish aggressive interim goals for 2025 and 2030 and require regular public reporting on progress toward these goals during the five-year periods.

 

  • Establish strong goals to reduce emissions from the building, transportation, and renewable energy sectors.  We should prioritize energy efficiency programs and incentives in all sectors.  Sector-specific goals are very important for tracking progress and refining strategies to meet any shortfalls. 

 

  • Further, in order to ensure equity and racial justice in the development of the climate action plan, goals and actions must be developed for low income people and communities of color in line with the County’s One Fairfax policy framework.

 

  • Strong climate goals result in myriad financial benefits which accrue to individuals, communities and the county.  For example, the benefits from strong climate goals in job creation, air quality improvement, health benefits, and other measures must be quantified in financial terms and matched against the direct costs of mitigation measures.  The cumulative financial benefits often exceed the costs of reducing emissions. 

 

  • Establish a dedicated funding source for climate mitigation measures.

 

  • The overarching goal of the Task Force should be to ensure that CECAP that would be seen as a world class program by global climate leaders - Fairfax County should be “best in class” of all counties. 

 

  • Establish job training/retraining programs for green jobs in the energy efficiency sector

 

  • Mitigate for rising temperatures by providing more open space and tree cover to create carbon sinks 

 

On August 27, the County plans to issue a public survey with questions to gauge interest in particular climate change mitigation strategies and actions.  The survey will remain open until September 13. 

The attached list of potential GHG reduction strategies is intended to highlight various priority strategies identified by the Great Falls Group for consideration.