Climate Action Planning

Roughly half of all measured GHG emissions in Montgomery County come from energy use in buildings. Increasing the energy efficiency of new and existing buildings is critical to meeting the County’s climate goals. However, this is unlikely to occur without requirements for, and incentives to encourage, buildings to reduce energy use. This workgroup identified innovative strategies and developed recommendations related to building codes, benchmarking, energy efficiency, building energy performance standards, auditing, and retrocommissioning.

• Buildings Workgroup Documents and Meeting Notes
• Building Workgroup Member Bios

While energy efficiency and conservation are the first step in reducing GHG emissions from homes and buildings, installing renewable energy in Montgomery County is the next step towards reducing fossil-fuel-based energy use. Opportunities exist in the County for expanded use of solar photovoltaic, solar hot water heating, and geoexchange energy systems. Opportunities also exist for greening the energy that is supplied through the electrical grid by utilities. This workgroup developed recommendations for greening the energy supply and expanding the use of distributed renewable energy in the County.

• Clean Energy Workgroup Documents and Meeting Notes
• Clean Energy Workgroup Member Bios

Climate change has created new weather patterns. In Montgomery County, this is most evident in the frequency of rainfall events that, coupled with historical development patterns, create flooding and drainage issues. This workgroup developed recommendations for reducing the County’s climate change vulnerability and strengthening the County’s ability to prepare for and withstand threats (known as hazard mitigation). Other topics for exploration include the effect of periods of high heat on vulnerable populations, the reliability of the electric grid and the reliability of public infrastructure. The workgroup also developed recommendations for carbon sequestration, which is the process of removing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it (such as in soil through tree planting or regenerative agriculture).

• Climate Adaptation and Sequestration Workgroup Documents and Meeting Notes
• Climate Adaptation and Sequestration Workgroup Member Bios

From time to time, the County may host forums for Climate Workgroup members to share information about issues and recommendations that cross multiple workgroup topics. 

• Climate Cross Workgroup Meeting Notes

Engaging the public regarding climate change and the County’s aggressive climate goals is vital to the success of all other County efforts. If the public does not understand the issues the County is trying to address, and the policies and programs that may be put in place, the County’s GHG reduction efforts will not reach their full potential. This workgroup identified opportunities to communicate with and educate residents about the urgency of taking climate action; advised on effective communications strategies for engagement with diverse audiences; identified partners and linkages to other issues that people care about (such as public health); identified and promoted resources that people can use to reduce GHG emissions and adapt to a changing climate at the household level; and identified mechanisms to conduct on-going “climate conversations” with residents.

• Public Engagement and Education Workgroup Documents and Meeting Notes
• Public Engagement and Education Workgroup Member Bios

The transportation sector accounts for 41% of all greenhouse gas emissions generated in Montgomery County. While the overall fuel efficiency of the vehicle fleet has increased in recent years, the adoption of hybrid electric and all electric vehicles is still relatively small. This Workgroup identified opportunities to increase the use of electric vehicles in the County, as well as the availability of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. This Workgroup also reviewed ongoing County initiatives underway to increase the amount of personal travel accomplished by public transit and other low/no emissions modes, and identified other innovative strategies to reduce emissions in the transportation sector.

• Transportation Technical Workgroup Documents and Meeting Notes
• Transportation Technical Workgroup Member Bios