Tompkins County, NY Environmental Management Council Resolution

Type: Resolution

Status: Adopted on 7/10/02

Vote: Unanimous

Source File: http://www.co.tompkins.ny.us/emc/resolutions/2002-04%20%20County%20emissions%20reduction%20target.pdf

Text:

RESOLUTION NO. 4-2002
RESOLUTION RECOMMENDING AN EMISSIONS REDUCTION TARGET FOR COUNTY OPERATIONS

WHEREAS, on April 4, 2001, Tompkins County adopted Resolution No. 69 of 2001 to participate in the Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) Campaign, a project of the International Council on Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), and

WHEREAS, the Cities for Climate Protection campaign is a voluntary program for municipal governments to identify sources of greenhouse gas emissions within their jurisdictions, identify opportunities and implement a proactive approach to combating global warming at the local level by working through five milestones:

1. Conduct a local emissions inventory and forecast of greenhouse gas emissions,

2. Adopt an emissions reduction target,

3. Draft a Local Action Plan to achieve the target,

4. Implement the action plan,

5. Evaluate and report on progress, and

WHEREAS, in September 2001, Tompkins County reached Milestone 1 of the CCP campaign by completing a county-wide inventory of greenhouse gas emissions for the base year of 1998, that includes separate information on county government contributions, known as The Tompkins County Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory Report, and

WHEREAS, Milestone 2 includes setting a specific greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal for equivalent carbon dioxide (eCO2) by a designated year, based on the emissions inventory report, and

WHEREAS, there is mounting evidence of the magnitude of the global warming problem, including

• six of the ten hottest years in the United States have occurred since 1992;
• the World Meteorological Organization reports that, globally, the 1990s comprised the warmest decade on record;
• ICLEI projects that average temperatures in New York State will rise between 4 and 9 degrees by 2100; and

WHEREAS, ICLEI indicates a 20% reduction goal is both an achievable and significant target for county government operations, and that goal has been adopted by a majority of other municipal governments participating in the CCP program, and

WHEREAS, Tompkins County can refine its reduction target as it develops the Local Action Plan, and

WHEREAS, reductions in County energy use will not only reduce emissions but also save taxpayer money, and

WHEREAS, this initiative by Tompkins County Government can be used as an example for community-wide efforts to reduce greenhouse gases in the future, now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the Tompkins County Environmental Management Council recommends that the County Board of Representatives adopt the following goal: Tompkins County will, by 2008, reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases generated by county operations by 20% (as measured by eCO2) compared to the base year of 1998.

RESOLVED, further, that the Tompkins County Environmental Management Council recommends that Tompkins County promptly develop a Local Action Plan (Milestone 3) to achieve the target.