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HomeMy WebLinkAboutR20-085 Declaring Commitment to Climate Action DocuSign Envelope ID:49494D26-5513-4498-8BF3-6A3BF82A4019 Commissioner McQueeney loved adoption of the following Resolution: BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COUNTY OF EAGLE, STATE OF COLORADO RESOLUTION NO.2020- 085 RESOLUTION DECLARING COMMITMENT TO CLIMATE ACTION WHEREAS, Eagle County has long been committed to sustainability and actions to preserve natural resources for current and future generations;preserve and restore biodiversity;implement safety measures to protect all people and species from the consequences of abrupt warming in the near-term; and cultivate a shift toward climate resilience that prioritizes conservation, equity, community,and independence from fossil fuels; and WHEREAS, Changes in temperature and precipitation are affecting snowpack, which is essential for maintaining healthy streamflows and supporting year-round recreation, upon which the Eagle County economy is reliant; and WHEREAS,Recent climate model-based projections indicate that continued business-as-usual warming will drive increases in bark beetle and other disease outbreaks impacting Colorado forests, frequency and severity of wildfires, and declines in the Colorado River flow, and WHEREAS, In 2018 and 2020 the State of Colorado declared a state of emergency over record-setting wildfires which totaled 1,328 fires and impacted 875,803 acres, including the Lake Christine Wildfire in Basalt and El Jebel which burned 12,588 acres, destroyed three homes, numerous other structures, required evacuation of 500 households, and cost $25 million in fire fighting and utility infrastructure repairs; and the Grizzly Creek Fire which burned 32,464 acres and forced the closure of I-70 for two weeks; and the Pine Gulch Fire which burned 139,007 acres becoming the largest wildfire in Colorado history; and the Cameron Peak Fire which burned more than 125,000 acres becoming the third largest wildfire in Colorado history; and WHEREAS,in 2016 the Eagle County Board of Commissioners adopted the Climate Action Plan for the Eagle County Community, which has been adopted by over 30 other organizations in Eagle County, and identified goals of 25%greenhouse gas(GHG)reduction by 2025, and 80%GHG reduction by 2050; and WHEREAS, in.2019 the Eagle County Board of Commissioners signed Resolution R19-027 adopting a commitment to 100%renewable energy and transition of County operations away from fossil fuels. DocuSign Envelope ID:49494D26-5513-449B-8BF3-6A3BF82A4019 NOW,THEREFORE,BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF THE COUNTY OF EAGLE, STATE OF COLORADO: THAT,Eagle County commits to county-wide climate action, and prioritizes efforts to reduce emissions and draw down carbon pollution from the atmosphere; THAT, Eagle County commits to taking immediate actions within the largest carbon-emitting sectors over which it has influence and considerable oversight, including transportation, buildings, and waste; THAT, Eagle County will develop transit solutions that meet existing and growing mobility needs of residents, businesses, and guests which minimize carbon emissions; THAT,Eagle County will transition its fleet to electric vehicles, including incorporation of electric buses into the ECO Transit fleet, replacement of all light- and heavy-duty County-owned fleet vehicles and associated charging infrastructure to electric as soon as practicable; THAT, Eagle County will prioritize sustainable transportation systems, including adoption of policies which support walkable and bikeable communities, completion of the Eagle River Valley Regional Trail, expansion of rideshare, bikeshare and carshare programs, public electric vehicle charging infrastructure, bicycle and electric bicycle infrastructure,and supporting any other countywide efforts to increase carbon- free mobility strategies; THAT,Eagle County will integrate new building code standards to decarbonize the built environment in Eagle County through the use of mandatory and voluntary sustainability criteria and energy efficiency requirements for new construction and existing buildings in its Land Use Regulations; THAT, Eagle County will pursue opportunities to reduce and eliminate material waste by improving current waste diversion, reuse, recycling and composting systems, including local processing and/or manufacture of products from recycled materials, as well as develop strategies to encourage responsible local production and consumption of food products, soft goods, and durable goods; THAT, Eagle County will develop strategies and partnerships to improve soil health and carbon sequestration through regenerative agriculture,reforestation,sustainable landscaping and/or ground cover vegetative management as a replicable scalable model for drawing carbon out of the atmosphere through living plant-based ecosystems; THAT, Eagle County will prioritize water quality and quantity issues and best practices to protect this essential resource for the ecosystem and our community, including incorporation of water efficiency practices into its policies and operations,and encouraging use of native, firewise plantings and limiting of turf areas; and THAT, Eagle County seeks participation of all communities to join the County in setting a community vision for 2030,wherein climate sustainability and resilience are at the forefront of these efforts; DocuSign Envelope ID:49494D26-5513-449B-8BF3-6A3BF82A4019 THAT, Eagle County commits to further integration of and emphasis on climate sustainability and resilience among all planning efforts undertaken,including but not limited to updates to the Strategic Plan, Comprehensive Plan, Land Use Regulations, Resilience Plan, Housing Guidelines, and Healthy Aging Plan; THAT, Eagle County commits to educating our residents about climate change, and organizing and advocating for a just, carbon-free transition at the local, regional, state, national, and global levels to provide maximum protection for our residents as well as all the people and species of the world; THAT, Eagle County will allocate resources which support the County's Climate Action Commitment; THAT,Eagle County commits to calling on higher levels of government to provide all necessary financial and regulatory assistance in support of its efforts to end County-wide greenhouse gas emissions as quickly as possible and no later than 2030; THAT, the Board hereby finds, determines and declares that this Resolution is necessary for the public health, safety and welfare of the residents of the County of Eagle, State of Colorado. MOVED, READ AND ADOPTED by the Board of County Commissioners of the County of Eagle, State of Colorado, at its regular meeting held October 20 , 2020. COUNTY OF EAGLE, STATE OF o EAGIE Cp COLORADO, By and Through Its WQ` BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ATTEST: DocuSigned by: AIWA' 61-'i o/ By: Absent Clerk to the firma6896440 'coaPQ Kathy Chandler-Henry County Commissioners Ch • DocuSigned by: 00""x` e 2— Je AMaiey Co jj I . hag uir iv4attsssittffsE0473 Commissioner Commissioner Scherr seconded adoption of the foregoing resolution. The roll having been called, the vote was as follows: Commissioner Chandler-Henry Absent Commissioner McQueeney Aye Commissioner Scherr Aye DocuSign Envelope ID:49494D26-5513-4498-8BF3-6A3BF82A4019 This resolution passed by 2/0 vote of the Board of County Commissioners of the County of Eagle, State of Colorado.