Climate Change Conference In Washington
Jeff
This week I was one of 100 invitees from around the county to attend
the National Association of Counties Climate Change conference.
We were honored to have as presenters a list of professionals that
included representatives from
Pew Center on Global Climate Change
Garrett Fitzgerald, Director of Programs, ICLEI
Mike Zatz, Energy Star, USEPA
Michelle Moore, US Green Building Council
Griff Thompson, US Department of State
Brent Yacobucci, Congressional Research Service
Jeff Soule, American Planning Association
Janice Canterbury, USEPA
Although many folks still consider this an esoteric subject it has
long reaching ramifications both for us locally and on an
international basis. You will notice that the US Department of State
was one of our presenters and their statement was that this issue is
as much, if not more of a concern, as terrorism around the world.
Environmental conditions and potential changes from changing climate
conditions will affect policies, politics and security conditions for
all citizens and we should be paying attention.
This issue is also really about energy consumption and our use and
management of energy.
As Trinity County struggles with tighter and tighter budgets we also
need to be analyzing our hard costs including what our energy use
is. How much money is spent keeping buildings climate controlled
when no one is in them? How much money is spent by 100's of computers
being left on overnight? There are now analysis tools out there,
provided by USEPA, ICLEI and others to help municipalities manage
their energy use more effectively and save money. If we are not all
in agreement regarding the climate issue we can at least agree that
our energy consumption needs to be analyzed. Water usage at
government facilities can also be analyzed as well as our choices for
heating and cooling systems in general.
One of our greatest latent assets here is our low cost electricity
provided by our existing hydro powered electric utility TPUD. I
believe that there are opportunities for purchasing electric vehicles
for mass community use and/or more effective simple public transit
during high tourism seasons. These and other opportunities are
waiting for us to implement and take advantage of their efficiencies
and savings.
While it is great to move in a positive direction regarding this issue
we also want to be sure that we are not creating unforeseen
consequences. First do no harm should be the rule. For that reason
this coming Monday some key staff from the California State
Association of Counties, Supervisor Rich Gordon from San Mateo County,
Supervisor Dianne Dillon from Napa County and myself will be meeting
with Attorney General Jerry Brown and key AG staff to discuss the
state's role in this issue and how we can develop a more collaborative
relationship with the AG. California Counties do not want to be put
into a position of being a sacrificial lamb to prove a political
point. Many people believe that the recent lawsuit filed over the
recently adopted San Bernadino General Plan was a political push
combined with a legal argument and we believe that we can be working
together to come up with solutions rather than pulling out the stick.
I am proud to be representing the 23 Rural California Counties in this
discussion.
I also hope to start an audit of county government's energy use within
the next few months in hopes that we will be working towards saving
much needed revenues while at the same time we are conserving and
maximizing our utilization of our energy resources.
Please get in touch with me at any time. As always I welcome your
feedback, thoughts and criticism. You don't learn anything from
someone who agrees with you and I am always interested in learning.
Best Regards,
Jeff Morris
je...@weavervilleinfo.com
www.trinitydistrict2.com