HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-16-20 Public Comment - Linda Young - Comments ono COB Climate Action PlanDear Mayor Andrus and City Commissioners Cunningham, Madgic, Wallner and Pomeroy,
I support your actions to plan and implement a comprehensive strategy to address the City’s
GHG emissions, and also strategies to increase our resilience.
However, it is worth noting that experts argue we need to develop extraordinary mitigation
strategies to keep global average land surface air temperature warming below 3C while we at
the same time implement adaptation strategies for global average land surface air temperature
increases of 2C. While I support the intentions of the plan, and understand that the City of
Bozeman is only one player in a complex web of action that is needed, much higher ambition is
required at this point.
I appreciate your consideration of these concerns over the draft Bozeman Climate Plan.
Linda M. Young
406 577 4441
Lindayoung.ly@gmail.com
1. The most urgent issue that needs to be addressed is to not accept NorthWestern
Energy’s misleading term of carbon intensity. The Bozeman Climate Plan uses actual
emissions, and this is the metric that is absolutely essential for tracking the level of
greenhouse gas emissions that are being emitted, and to measure progress in making
reductions. Northwestern Energy’s use of carbon intensity would allow them to increase
their actual emissions even if the intensity falls. I am aware other submission have
provided great detail in their explanation of how and why this could happen.
2. Solution D: Increase Utility Renewable Energy Supply. I find this goal unambitious. The
City of Bozeman should mandate that it will switch to only buy renewable energy from
NWE on an aggressive timetable, and should collaborate with other municipalities in this
effort. NWE’s strategic plan and recent actions, particularly to increase the use of coal
and ownership of Coalstrip, have clearly demonstrated that NWE is not committed to
vigorously expanding their renewable energy portfolio. This means we have to require it
through all means possible.
3. Solution J: Increase Walking, Carpooling and Use of Transit. Recently, the HRDC revised
the routes for our public bus, Streamline, and these routes will be launched soon. These
routes were designed to easily accommodated expanded service. The City of Bozeman
should increase their support for Streamline to expand bus services. They should also
actively pursue the transition to use of electric buses, as the City of Missoula has done.
The City of Bozeman should have ambitious goals to provide charging stations for
electric vehicles to promote their use, even if a modest fee is charged for the service.
I have found Saul Griffin’s work Rewiring America
(https://www.rewiringamerica.org/handbook) to be a visionary but practical guide to what we
need to achieve and how to do it.