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Update on LARES Council Working Group Action Plan
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In the fall of 2023, the Los Alamos Resiliency, Energy, and Sustainability (LARES) Council Working Group was established to select LARES recommendations aimed to boost climate action in advance of the completion of the Climate Action Plan (CAP). The Council Working Group focused on identifying recommendations from the existing LARES report that could quickly reduce carbon emissions and mitigate climate impacts. Led by Councilors Theresa Cull, Suzie Havemann, and Randall Ryti, along with Board of Public Utilities Board Member Robert Gibson and Sustainability Manager Angelica Gurule, the Council Working Group selected 14 recommendations of which 11 were accepted by County Council on November 14, 2023. During the January 9, 2024 County Council meeting, an action plan was approved and the County Manager was directed to return with the five budget options during FY25 budget process.
During the FY25 budget process Council invested $1.2M in climate action initiatives:
1) Solicit for a qualified contractor to provide energy audit services;
2) develop an Electric Vehicle charging infrastructure plan encompassing design and deployment;
3) develop a fleet conversion plan;
4) upgrade two scheduled replacement gas vehicles to electric; and
5) solicit for educational, marketing, and outreach services focused on greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction.
During the past six months, staff from across the County have completed four of the eleven action items and contributed to the accomplishment of many strategies outlined in the LARES Council Working Group Action Plan (Attachment A). The remaining action items and strategies have been incorporated into the Draft Climate Action Plan Implementation Matrix.
These actions along with FY25 strategic investments will contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, enhance community resiliency against climate change and promote environmental awareness.
Attachments
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