City commission advances draft climate plan update
Mill Valley hopes to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by nearly half by the end of the decade.
The goal is among a host of approaches spelled out in the city's draft climate plan, which the Planning Commission recommended for approval on Tuesday.
The unanimous endorsement, with commissioner Jon Yolles absent, means the document will now head to the City Council for approval. The draft details the
source of the city's current greenhouse gas emissions, target emission reductions and key actions relating to transportation and building electrification to reach those goals.
“I'm very encouraged,” said Kevin Skiles, chair of the commission. “We are trending towards the goals we've set in the past, we've achieved some of the goals we've set long in the past, and we've set some ambitious goals for the future that seem realistic.”
As of 2020, 56% of the city's emissions come from transportation, most of it from passenger
vehicles. The built environment, which includes residential and commercial buildings that use natural gas, makes up 33% of the emissions.
“So those two are really big sectors and that's what we focused a lot of the programs and our energy on, those two sectors, because that's how we're going to get the emission reductions that we need to meet our long-term goals,” said Christine O'Rourke, a consultant for the city and sustainability coordinator for the Marin Clean Energy Partnership.