Bernard P. Carvalho, Jr. George K. Costa Mayor Director Wallace G. Rezentes, Managing Director OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT County of Kaua?i, State of Hawai?i 444-4 Rice Street, Suite 200, Lihu?e, Hawai?i 96766 TEL (808) 24l-4946 FAX (808) 241-6399 MEMORANDUM July 31, 2017 TO: Honorable Mel Rapozo, Council Chair FROM: George K. Costa, Director, Office of Economic Development/16W f? VIA: Wallace G. Rezentcs, In, Managing Director RE: FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS RELATING TO 2017-468, DEVELOPMENT OF A CLIMATE ACTION PLAN (CAP) FOR THE COUNTY OF At the July 26, 2017 Council Meeting, the Council referred 2017468, relating to the development of a Climate Action Plan (CAP) for the County of Kaua?i, to the August 2, 2017 Economic Development Intergovernmental Relations Committee (EDIE). The following information and questions were requested: 1. What is a Climate Action Plan? Climate Action Plans are common practice for local governments around the US and globally. For your reference, we have included one reasonable definition we have come across below: (from the City of Burlington) A climate action plan is a detailed and strategic ?nmework for measuring, plamzing, and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and related climatic impacts. Municipalities design and utilize climate notion. plans as customized roodmops for making informed decisions and understanding where and how to achieve the largest and most cost-effective emissions reductions that are in, alignment with. other municipal goals. Climate action plans, at a minimum, include on inventory ofexisting emissions, reduction goals or targets, and analyzed and prioritized reduction actions, Ideally, a climate action plan also includes an implementation strategy that identi?es required resources and funding mechanisms. 2. What are the goals of the Climate Action Plan, the deliverables, and What Will the County have as the end product? The draft goals of the County?s Climate Action Plan are to: - Build on the State?s greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory to create a complete picture of the Island?s emissions and document them in a standard protocol (the Global Protocol for Communities, or GPC) 9 De?ne the community?s challenges and opportunities in achieving greenhouse gas reduction goals and adapting to climate change 9 Develop near and mid?term greenhouse gas reduction goals consistent with the long term goal proposed in the draft General Plan 0 Identify and develop optimal strategies and implementation plans for reducing GHG emissions While concurrently improving affordability and quality of life for residents, and achieving other community goals. 0 Establish metrics for measuring progress within the County of Kauai that are consistent with other Hawaii Counties and the State. 6 Increase general climate literacy in the community While activating and engaging residents, businesses and institutions With positive actions and tangible bene?ts of a CAP *9 Build capacity Within the County and partner organizations in order to strengthen. future CAP efforts. The above goals will be vetted with the planning team prior to proceeding with the plan. Assuming adequate resources are available, the County will have a plan document that responds to the above goals including: a An updated greenhouse gas inventory for Kauai 6 Near and mid-term GHG reduction goals a Prioritized strategies and implementation plans with a focus on the next 5 years that allow progress on the goals Increased capacity Within the County and broader community for continued climate action. . Does the County have any obligation with regard to the Will implementation of the CAP cost the County any additional funding? If so, how much is required? The County has no obligation with regards to the CAP. implementation is similar to other plans with any specific policies or expenses being subject to review and approval by the County Council. . How is the County ensuring that all agencies participating in the CAP are communicating With one another? All four Counties will be developing Climate Action Plans in the near future. An intergovernmental coordination meeting is being planned for the fall of 2017 between the Counties, the State of Hawaii, and other partners in order to ensure that we are maximizing resources and coordinating effectively. There will be a crosswdepartmental team internal to the County that will meet regularly to coordinate County actions. This team Will consist of staff from Economic Development and Planning, and other agencies on an ad?hoc basis. There Will also be a Climate Action Task Force comprised of government, private sector, community, and philanthropic partners Who Will provide guidance to the CAP development team throughout the process. 5. What is the baseline number for greenhouse emissions and sea~level changes? 0 The Draft General Plan proposes a goal of an 80% reduction in greenhouse gasses by 2050 as compared to 1990 levels. I There is voluminous scientific study available on anticipated sea level rise, including the difference under various greenhouse gas emissions scenarios. The State DLNR Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands has considerable resources allocated to sea level rise. That information is very important to allow local government and communities to make decisions on how to respond to the anticipated changes. 6. Please provide a summary on the County?s efforts With regard to the Climate Action Plan and how does it tie into the State of Hawai?i Aloha Plus Challenge. a The County has been collaborating with the University of Hawaii Department of Urban and Regional Planning to outline our approach to creation of the CAP. - The County has been participating as a member of the Kauai Climate Literacy Initiative in island Wide meetings that facilitate community led discussions on climate change. 6 Through the General Plan Update, the County has engaged the on the importance of taking action to mitigate emissions and prepare for climate change impacts. 0 The County helped organize the KEDB Energy Conference in 2017 with a speci?c track focused on our ?low carbon future? a Representatives from the County participated in the first ever ?Sustainable Tourism Summit? held at the statewide energy conference in June 2017, including discussions about how to decarbonize tourism over the next several decades. a The Aloha+ Challenge brings together partners from across the State to establish metrics for 6 broad sustainability goals within the following areas: Smart Sustainable Communities Green Workforce Education a. Waste Reduction in. Clean Energy c. Natural Resources Management d. Local Food e. f. a The Aloha+ Challenge is a partner in the discussions between the State, Counties, and other entities as we collectively learn how to strengthen our economy and concurrently reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. 7. What is the County?s role regarding the Climate Action Plan and What are the tangible bene?ts? The County?s role in the Climate Action Plan is to guide the community driven planning process including overseeing the outreach and technical development of the plan, and guiding the creation of the plan document. Following the creation of the plan, the County Council, have the opportunity to assess the proposed strategies and determine how to align implementation of the plan With other County priorities. The tangible bene?ts of the plan will depend on the strategies identi?ed by the community, and on Whether we act on them. Generally, the tangible benefits include: 0 Providing useful guidance for future County decisions about resonrce allocation and policy related to energy, land use, transportation, tourism, and infrastructure improvements. Preparing the local economy for future carbon costs. Contributing to the avoidance of future climate impacts and associated costs, Creating jobs and helping the local economy. Helping low income and elderly families to live more afford ably. Improving Public Health. Conserving Water Resources. Helping the community to plan for and anticipate unavoidable changes such as sea level rise, decreasing rainfall, and perhaps more useful is a speci?c example of a possible outcome from the plan. Looking at electric vehicles, we all know that it is not reasonable to ask residents to simply go out and buy electric cars to reduce our emissions, However, there is likely an opportunity to encourage the Island?s rental fleet to lead the charge to Ellis. The CAP development process might afford an opportunity to identify how we could accelerate EV adoption in the rental market starting with understanding current barriers, and identifying infrastructure and policy needs to overcome these barriers, Perhaps more EVs in the rental market could then spill over to the broader population due to an improved charging station network. Of course, we could just do this today, but Without a planning process, we cannot know Whether this is the most effective strategy for us to take on with limited resources,