Department: County Administration
Department Head/Elected Official: David Berry, County Administrator
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Policy
Project ID (if applicable): N/A
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): N/A
MWDBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): N/A
MWDBE Current Participation (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWDBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Request for approval of the adoption of Harris County’s Climate Action Plan for Internal Operations: An Interdepartmental Emissions Reduction Strategy.
end
Background and Discussion:
Commissioners Court approved the creation of the Office of Sustainability (OS) within the Office of County Administration in July 2021. One of the deliverables presented in the scope of work for OS was to coordinate a Climate Justice Action Plan, which will be produced in two phases. This is Phase I of the work, which is a climate action plan (CAP) for internal County operations to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This was created in partnership with the County Judge’s Office, Precinct staff, and 15 County departments that have direct control of the County’s buildings and facilities, fleet, waste management, and purchasing.
The CAP provides an overview of recent climate hazards that have impacted the County, climate risks through the lens of public service delivery, and the benefits and opportunities for taking local climate action. Next, it includes a high-level summary of the County’s first GHG emissions inventory from CY2021, the co-creation process with department stakeholders to develop the CAP, existing sustainability initiatives and precedents upon which the plan is founded, and GHG emissions modeling to illustrate one potential emissions pathway for this plan. Finally, a table of the CAP goals, 2030 targets, strategies, and actions along with narrative summaries for each action provide more depth to the body of work that will be implemented through 2030.
Expected Impact:
The expected impact of implementing the CAP include: 1) tracking and reducing GHG emissions associated with County operations, 2) lowering operating expenses, 3) leveraging local and federal clean energy funding, 4) addressing climate risk and increase adaptive capacity, 5) bolstering operational resilience of critical County assets, 6) institutionalizing sustainability initiatives.
This also sets the stage for the County to move into Phase II of the planning effort for the countywide Climate Justice Action Plan. By demonstrating leadership in reducing the County’s emissions associated with internal operations, community partners will have a foundation to co-create a broader plan with the County to help transition our region towards a more climate prepared, environmentally just, and economically vibrant future.
Alternative Options:
Commissioners Court could not approve the Climate Action Plan and not realize the benefits of the plan, such as reducing GHG emissions associated with County operations, lowering operating expenses, and bolstering operational resilience of critical County assets.
Alignment with Goal(s):
_ Justice and Safety
_ Economic Opportunity
_ Housing
_ Public Health
_ Transportation
_ Flooding
x Environment
_ Governance and Customer Service
Prior Court Action (if any):
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Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
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7/20/21 |
184 |
Recommendation for the creation of the Harris County Office of Sustainability within the Office of County Administration and outlining the structure and mission of the office |
Location:
Address (if applicable): N/A
Precinct(s): Countywide
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Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
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FY 23 |
FY 24 |
Next 3 FYs |
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Existing Budget |
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Total Current Budget |
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Additional Budget Requested |
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Total Additional Budget Requested |
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Total Funding Sources |
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Personnel (Fill out section only if requesting new PCNs) |
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Current Position Count for Service |
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Additional Positions Requested |
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Total Personnel |
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Anticipated Court Date: 1/10/2023
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date):
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Choose an item.
Contact(s) name, title, department:
Jesse Dickerman, Chief of Staff, OCA
Lisa Lin, Director of Sustainability, OCA
Attachments (if applicable):