People demand action, accountability from city<\/p>\n
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John Robinette, manager of the Durango Community Recreation Center, walks around the roof of the center. Residents are calling on the city to step up its efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions in line with aggressive goals to reach a 50% reduction by 2030 and a 100% reduction by 2050. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/p>\n
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Residents are demanding the city of Durango take its greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals \u2013 and the health of the community and the environment \u2013 more seriously.<\/p>\n
The city is failing to live up to a 2021 resolution to reduce emissions by 50% compared with 2016 levels by 2030 and 100% by 2050. Residents said the city needs to invest in sustainability and accountability to get back on track.<\/p>\n
Durango Sustainability Manager Marty Pool said at an October meeting a 2022 greenhouse gas inventory demonstrated the two largest sources of emissions are transportation and energy consumption in buildings.<\/p>\n
The key to reducing emissions, he said, is electrification \u2013 the replacement of technologies that use fossil fuels with technologies powered by electricity: electric vehicles and modernized heat pumps, for example.<\/p>\n
Without implementing any electrification, the city would produce about 200,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2e) in 2030, and over 100,000 in 2050, according to a presentation by Pool.<\/p>\n
The city produced about 300,000 MTCO2e in 2016, according to data presented by Pool.<\/p>\n
Without a concerted effort, the city would fall well short of its goal of zero greenhouse gas emissions 25 years from now, the data show.<\/p>\n
A combination of energy conservation and aggressive electrification, however, can set the city straight on the path to meet its 2050 goals, he said. But the city\u2019s 2030 goals are impractical at this point.<\/p>\n
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The Durango Community Recreation Center is using solar power, just one method of building electrification that is essential to curbing greenhouse gas emissions. Residents are calling on the city to invest in more electrification efforts and to bolster the city\u2019s one-man sustainability division. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/p>\n
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Dick White, resident and former mayor, said in a public comment that the perception of climate change has evolved through the years from a \u201clikely possibility to an existential threat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Building electrification is difficult because Durango is full of old homes, he said. But the biggest issue is whether the city is \u201cmaking resilience investments commensurate with the threat of climate change.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the city needs to build a pipeline tapping into Lake Nighthorse because water resiliency is vital.<\/p>\n
The city owns water rights to a fraction of the raw water at Lake Nighthorse, and a pipeline transferring the water to the city would improve its water supply resiliency, according to a 2023 city analysis.<\/p>\n
White said Pool, as the city\u2019s sustainability manager, is responsible for educating and collaborating with the city\u2019s various departments about sustainability initiatives. He questioned if Pool has been given the resources required to do so.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes he have the time to do that in addition to his other duties? There are major issues here about the allocation of funds to the program and to the city\u2019s goals,\u201d White said.<\/p>\n
He said the city must reexamine its budget through the lens of climate change.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe lens in Washington (U.S. Congress) is broken,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need to use the budget as a lens to focus on every aspect that the city does and how it relates to our climate goals.\u201d<\/p>\n
Investing in Durango\u2019s future<\/p>\n
Pool is the sole employee in the city\u2019s sustainability division. Residents say he can\u2019t meet the city\u2019s emissions goals on his own.<\/p>\n
\u201cAn underfunded single-person division of Marty is not an authentic effort to follow through with a commitment of this magnitude,\u201d said Jenny Hill, executive director of the Four Corners Office for Resource Efficiency. \u201cWe have two urgent requests to get us back on track. The good news is that these efforts are often self-sustaining once put into action.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said wildfires, flooding and unpredictable monsoons are tangible effects of climate change in Durango, and the city needs to make a \u201csincere, aggressive effort\u201d to combat climate change.<\/p>\n
Adaptation is a sign of real leadership, she said. The city could increase its sustainability fee \u2013 currently a flat rate of $2.30 that appears on utility bills \u2013 or pursue a franchise fee agreement with the La Plata Electric Association, for example.<\/p>\n
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Marty Pool, the city of Durango sustainability manager, inspects an old, inefficient boiler in the basement of the city\u2019s Carnegie Hall building in 2022. Building and transportation electrification \u2013 the replacement of technologies powered by fossil fuels with modernized technologies powered by electricity \u2013 is crucial to curbing greenhouse gas emissions. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald file)<\/p>\n
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\u201cCouncilors, you set this goal and you are accountable for the lack of effort in meeting it, but greenhouse gas reductions must be a citywide effort \u2013 not just a single man\u2019s concern,\u201d she said. \u201cWe urge you to make this a top priority for the city manager and to include sustainability accountability as an important component of the city manager\u2019s annual review.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said 4CORE is ready to partner with the city because facing climate change is not a one-man job.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo ensure long-term success, please think beyond a single person for this role and integrate climate solutions, resilience and adaptation into essential city services, including core infrastructure like streets, water and sewer infrastructure operations,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Sustainability division\u2019s budget<\/p>\n
Durango\u2019s sustainability division has a budget of $405,499 for 2026. Pool said an growing percentage of the budget is spent on electricity bills for the city\u2019s electric vehicle charging stations, although the stations generate some revenue as well.<\/p>\n
He broke the budget down like so:<\/p>\n
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Residents are calling on the city to step up its efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions in line with aggressive goals to reach a 50% reduction by 2030 and a 100% reduction by 2050. The roofs of the Durango Community Recreation Center have been covered with solar panels, an example of building electrification. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/p>\n
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Of the 44% that pays for projects and programs \u2013 what directly contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions: $60,000 is spent on composting programs, $40,000 is spent on electric vehicle programs that are funded by charging station revenues, and $15,000 is spent on energy efficiency programs funded by the city\u2019s sustainability fee.<\/p>\n
Another $50,000 is spent on programs unrelated to reducing greenhouse gases such as water efficiency, education about recycling and community sustainability grants, Pool said.<\/p>\n
A path forward<\/p>\n
Resident Brian Rogers said addressing climate change is challenging because the issue rarely seems urgent in the moment and tends to be set aside.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome may say that Durango\u2019s efforts don\u2019t matter in the face of a global problem. But that misses the essence of leadership of a privileged community,\u201d he said. \u201cEvery ton of carbon avoided anywhere matters everywhere, and local action is how global progress happens: one community at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said building and transit electrification doesn\u2019t just combat climate change \u2013 it makes the air cleaner, reduces utility bills and makes homes safer.<\/p>\n
Pool said emissions are the product of thousands of individuals, and holistic, collective action is needed to reduce them. That requires working with LPEA and La Plata County.<\/p>\n
Permitting for solar energy development and battery utility storage is needed, he said, noting the county has a moratorium that has delayed a battery storage project because of residents\u2019 safety and environmental concerns over lithium-ion battery storage.<\/a><\/p>\n There are competing priorities and funding within the city and the community, Pool said. And the adoption of energy efficiency codes has been delayed, although City Council passed a slew of relevant code amendments this fall.<\/p>\n Durango\u2019s snowplows sit ready to clear streets at the city\u2019s Service Center. Four full-time mechanics keep the snowplows and about 300 other pieces of equipment operational. Transportation emissions are a big contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/p>\n Durango\u2019s development codes have historically been vehicle-centric, he said. Three Springs wasn\u2019t developed with any sort of commitment to account for public transit, for example. Public transit and walkability need to be considered for future developments.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s funding constraints for those said transit services,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd it has to be acknowledged that there wasn\u2019t any funding dedication associated with the greenhouse gas reduction tied to those goals explicitly.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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