C3’s Recommendations for Charlottesville’s Climate Action Plan

As we celebrate the recent release of Charlottesville’s CAP draft, there are relevant and substantial commitments established in the CAP that should be highlighted. Among them:

Reach 100% carbon-neutral electricity in City-owned buildings & facilities by 2030;

Reduce energy consumption by 10% across [community] all buildings by 2030;

Aim for 10% of Charlottesville's rooftop solar potential to be installed by 2030.

These commitments are evidence of successful negotiations between the City’s Climate team and other City departments. However, it’s also important to observe that the Charlottesville CAP draft includes recommendations that are not relevant, which suggests that more and better coordination is still needed. For example, the CAP draft includes the following natural gas and public-transit recommendations that are redundant in practice:

“Consider a commitment to make Charlottesville Gas fully carbon neutral (...) by 2050;”

"Initiate a Transit Pathways to Carbon Neutrality by 2050 Assessment."

These recommendations are redundant (and lack ambition) because: both the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County — the region served by Charlottesville Gas and Charlottesville Area Transit (CAT) — have already committed to community-wide carbon neutrality by 2050, which implies that both Charlottesville Gas and CAT’s operations will have to be carbon-neutral by then.

Other goals that lack clear direction and accountability should be reconsidered. When it comes to implementation, we are concerned that these recommendations will be easy to deprioritize in a crowded policy space. Even though we are certain that the current City staff is committed to advancing climate-friendly policies, the CAP recommendations should be clear enough to remain equally meaningful and relevant to whoever reads them.

To address the above-mentioned concerns, we recommend that the CAP offer clear guidance regarding by which means and at what pace sectors and/or agencies should decarbonize their operations. For example, the CAP should set a series of goals of the type “Sector A should reduce GHG emissions by X% by 20YY”. Moreover, for each goal, the CAP should also suggest quantifiable metrics for tracking progress and practical strategies for achieving them.

Conclusion: The CAP should establish more SMARTIE (Strategic, Measurable, Ambitious, Realistic, Time-bound, Inclusive, and Equitable) goals in all areas (“key actions”) of the CAP.

In addition to the well-outlined equity concern section of each topic, all sections of the CAP should provide actionable recommendations with more clear guidance as to:

How the City will create mechanisms for equitable/inclusive community engagement (both in providing feedback for program design and also as beneficiaries of program implementation);

How it will promote a just transition to a carbon-neutral economy.

1. Address barriers to access of retrofits, weatherization, and home repairs;

2. Address barriers to low- to moderate-income solar installation in Charlottesville;

3. Increase energy efficiency, onsite renewable energy, and use of passive energy reduction strategies such as tree shade and water collection;

4. Consider tree canopy additions/incentives in lower-income neighborhoods;

5. Encourage healthy and increased tree canopy and urban agriculture on public and subsidized housing sites and incentivize/require care for and replacement of existing and deceased trees;

6. Review housing rules that limit gardens and growing space for public housing residents;

7. Establish a tenant energy efficiency program offering energy assessments, upgrades, gas-to-electric conversions, and weatherization.

1. Deploy energy efficiency improvements coupled with renewable energy solutions;

2. Pilot a program in targeted neighborhoods to weatherize, electrify, and add renewable energy home-by-home where the energy savings are split between the household and the City to create a continually funded program.

1. Conduct periodic meetings, focus groups, surveys, and public presentations/updates with comment opportunities;

2. Meet residents where they are comfortable (such as at concerts and community events);

3. Equitably compensate community input to favor diverse and inclusive participation;

4. Seek input and feedback from environmental and climate justice community experts;

5. Create a community committee consisting of ratepayers, lower-income residents, and renters.

1. Choose options that avoid placing an unjust burden on low- to moderate-income community members who cannot easily afford fuel switching;

2. Promote climate justice in the “City as a Municipal Gas Utility,” “Buildings and Energy,” and “Financing and Funding” sections of the CAP;

3. Identify and prioritize effective implementation methods for residential electrification;

4. Develop educational materials and outreach strategies to better inform community members of energy education and services available to them;

5. Consider potential pathways for workforce transition to other living wage jobs.

6. Publish regular reports that study the distribution, duration, and intensity of natural gas leaks throughout our community. Assess if the incidence of leaks, health, and safety hazards, and risks are higher in historically-underserved communities.

1. Pause all new hookups/installations at new service locations;

2. Pause all non-residential new hookups/installations;

3. Pause all non-essential infrastructure projects;

4. Remove cost-free installation of new residential gas lines.

1. Focus on alleviating energy costs of highly energy-burdened households;

2. End rebates for utility consumer purchases of tankless water heaters;

3. Extend other energy-efficiency rebates to all City residents (not limiting them to Charlottesville Gas customers).

1. Set a verifiable target to increase bus occupancy levels considerably;

2. Favor expansions and improvements that benefit those that most rely on transit;

3. Have no route frequencies in excess of 30 minutes intervals;

4. Reassess rules around eating, drinking, or carrying bags and packages on board;

5. Complement main routes with on-demand micro-mobility services.

1. Enhance bus stops with benches, shelters, and inclusive/user-friendly signage;

2. Provide pedestrian and bike infrastructure along and near transit routes.

1. Decisions should be co-created with the community, especially those who depend on transit;

2. Engagement strategies should meet people where they are and include public hearings, surveys, focus groups, and interviews.

1. Develop a pilot program to introduce battery-electric buses to CAT’s system;

2. Reduce air pollution and climate emissions from CAT’s fleet by 50% by 2030;

3. Work with JAUNT to pilot electrified vehicles for their urban routes.

1. Address bus driver shortage with better working conditions and compensation.

1. Leverage interconnections of pedestrian, bicycle, transit, parking, commuter networks, and food pathways;

2. Continue planning and investment in a well-connected network of trails, shared-use paths, sidewalks, bike lanes, and community gardens;

3. Advance transportation food pathways to make food markets more accessible to residents with a specific focus on neighborhoods with limited access to healthy food options;

4. Expand availability and access to regional trails and shared-use paths for recreation, community, and food pathways.

1. Provide organics material collection within the City-provided comprehensive curbside services for residents, businesses, and institutions;

2. Provide organics material collection for Municipal Facilities (government, schools, and community or school gardens);

3. Promote diversion to glean/donation (add emphasis on areas of focus to include municipal facilities, businesses, restaurants, etc.).

1. Integrate shade to increase the comfort of high-priority walkable, bikeable, and transit corridors with a specific focus on heat-island areas;

2. Create a robust Urban Agriculture Management Plan with dedicated lands;

3. Analyze land trust potentials for preserving land and community-based urban agriculture;

4. Promote education/engagement on tree maintenance and care, selection, and placement;

5. Promote soil amendments (biochar).