Mayor Paul Deasy discusses carbon neutrality by 2030

The Flagstaff City Council chose the most stringent plan for the city to attain carbon neutrality by 2030 with a goal of a 42% reduction in greenhouse gases in just 9 years. Mayor Paul Deasy returns to the show to discuss the plans details (more specific info below).

 

Also discussed:

• Re-opening city facilities
• A renewed push for increased broadband
• A new company coming to Flagstaff will occupy the old Walgreens building, building parts for Tesla and employing 120+

More on the carbon neutrality plan which includes: 

1. Cleaner Electricity: Flagstaff will obtain its electricity from sources that do not produce greenhouse gas emissions.
2. Reducing Building Energy Use: Flagstaff will need to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from heating, cooling and powering buildings.
3. Building Fuel Switching: Flagstaff will shift building fuel sources from fossil fuels to electricity on everything from water heaters and stoves to industrial processes, enabling us to take advantage of the emissions reduction pathway unlocked by electricity being cleaner than fossil fuels today, and continuing to get cleaner over time.
4. Decreased Dependence on Cars: Flagstaff will depend far less on cars, reducing vehicles miles traveled (VMT) and shifting many more trips to walking, biking and the bus.
5. Electric Mobility: Flagstaff will embrace the electrification of mobility options, shifting to vehicle-replacing e-bikes and bike share, electrifying our busses and taking advantage of the rapidly evolving vehicle market
6. Reduced Emissions from Consumption and Waste: Flagstaff will move towards sustainable consumption, divert more materials from the landfill through reuse and recycling, and then reduce emissions from the landfill.
7. Sequestration, Certificates and Offsets: Flagstaff will achieve carbon neutrality by measuring the remaining community emissions produced each year, and then balancing with an equivalent amount of removal through negative emissions initiatives such as carbon sequestration.

 

The cost to implement the plan by the end of the decade is unclear but the price tag will surely be steep with a goal of retrofitting 1/2 of Flagstaffs homes, 1/4 of Flagstaffs commercial buildings and 1/2 of NAUs properties. The plan also includes switching from combustible fuel sources for heating and cooking to so called, clean electric sources. The plan also pushes electric vehicles, gas sequestration at the landfill and a bunch of other strategies outlined in the 59 page plan. http://cityweb.flagstaffaz.gov/agendaquick/docs/2021/CCWS/20210309_1198/5269%5FFlagstaff%5FCarbon%5FNeutrality%5FPlan%5FDraft%5F3%2D5%2D21%2Epdf

 

Council will vote on adoption of the final plan at its April 6th meeting.