Sonoma County Sets 2030 Carbon-Neutral Operations Goal

Sonoma County officials have their eyes set on an ambitious goal — to make the county carbon-neutral by 2030, starting with government operations.

A new 167-page plan spells out how the county intends to reach that goal via 54 projects tackling energy use, emissions, waste and carbon sequestration. Of those projects, the county’s Climate Action and Resiliency Division has recommended starting with 25 measures over the next two years, with an estimated price tag of $38 million.

The plan is meant as a blueprint to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030, a goal the Board of Supervisors established in 2021 as part of its five-year strategic plan. Reaching that goal means the county would have to account for all of its greenhouse gas production and offset that output by local and other means to achieve a net neutral impact on the emissions driving climate change.

In the past three years, the county’s climate division has audited the county’s energy use, waste production and overall greenhouse gas inventory, resulting in the action plan approved Sept. 10 by the Board of Supervisors.

The board had previously approved $30.7 million for the effort but on Sept. 10 allocated an additional $2.7 million from the county’s climate resilience fund and tribal mitigation fund, according to a staff report. The additional funds will be used to support some of the projects as well as a community outreach plan.

County staff are also pursing grants to fund the remaining project costs, said Barbara Lee, director of the climate division.

The 25 steps in the first phase of the plan are focused on county operations ranging from composting and energy upgrades in county buildings to transitioning the county’s light-duty fleet to 30% zero emissions by 2026 and completing a risk assessment and sea/bay level rise plan.

“It’s a good opportunity for us to start locally, start with our own house and move out into the community,” said Lee.

The plan’s second half contains projects that require longer to carry through and involve unincorporated communities in a bid to help Sonoma County as a whole become carbon-neutral.

The effort also includes local cities, many of which already have their own plans to reduce emissions.

County operations generate about 32,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide, which is expected to increase by 3% in 2030 without intervention, according to a staff report. The steps outlined in the county plan are projected to reduce emissions by 46%, while federal and state climate programs are projected to help reduce emissions by 20%.

If the county government hits those targets it will be generating about 8,300 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year in 2030. That is the equivalent annual energy emissions footprint of 1,082 homes, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s greenhouse gas equivalent calculator. To reach carbon neutrality the county will need to increase carbon storage on its lands, according to the report.

As a region, Sonoma County emits about 3.1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, the report said. That is equivalent to the annual energy emissions footprint for 404,270 homes, according to the EPA.

The results of the energy, waste and greenhouse gas audits show that reaching the 2030 goal is “doable,” Lee said. But it will take investment, which is where one of the key challenges lies.

“The hard stuff are things that are really expensive,” Lee said.

Money for the steps outlined in the plan comes from a patchwork of county funds, grants and state and federal sources. Not all potential projects have funding, including the proposal to switch 30% of the county’s vehicle fleet to zero-emission vehicles. That project is estimated to cost about $5.5 million which county staff are hoping to fund through grants, Lee said.

A longer-term proposal to turn long-range vehicles like fire engines and sheriff’s patrol cars to zero emissions faces a few other hurdles as well: the county would need to establish a broader electric-vehicle charging network for sheriff’s vehicles, particularly in remote areas, and the technology to support long-range electric vehicles like fire engines is still being developed.

“We’re hoping as we get later as we get closer to 2030 there will be more options,” Lee said.

The staff report notes that the county does not need to “fully implement” all 54 measures outlined in the yearslong plan, but that reasoning rests on the county’s ability to increase carbon storage.

Carbon sequestration happens via natural processes including the growth of plant life like trees and grass which naturally pull carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, Lee explained.

“What we’re looking to do is find ways to help more trees grow, get more organic matter into soil, help marshes grow, help eelgrass and kelp beds grow, these are all things that can increase carbon storage,” Lee said.

The county is already on track to improve its carbon storage in natural and working lands through projects like wildfire fuel management already in process, Lee said. The county has not been tracking that work in relation to carbon storage so that is one of the first steps under the carbon-neutral plan.

Part two of the county’s plan includes plans to bring carbon-sequestration to private landowners and farmers. It’s part of the larger ambition to make the Sonoma County region carbon-neutral.

The county is already exploring a grant program in partnership with Marin County to help local farmers implement farming plans that will enhance carbon sequestration and improve land health.

“It’s a win win for the farmers but helping them develop plan and get over the hump is the purpose of the grant,” Lee said.

To get private landowners on board the county will also need to help them find ways to cover costs of the work, Lee said.

Reaching carbon-neutrality by 2030 is an expansive task but Lee is hopeful.

“All of the things we have prioritized to do thus far, even if it doesn’t stop climate change, it will leave us in a much much much better place so that life as we enjoy it now is still possible,” Lee said.

©2024 The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, Calif.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.