A draft climate action plan for Chester County has been released for public review and comment. The updated Climate Action Plan expands on the 2010 Greenhouse Gas Reduction report, providing an updated greenhouse gas emissions inventory as well as an action plan for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving energy efficiency throughout the county. The plan was prepared by the Chester County Planning Commission in partnership with the County’s Environmental and Energy Advisory Board.
A public meeting on the proposed Climate Action Plan was held on March 4, 2021 at 6:30 pm via Zoom. A recording of the meeting and the meeting slide show can be viewed on the Climate Action Plan webpage.
View the draft Climate Action Plan.
The comment period for the Climate Action Plan closed as of March 31, 2021.
It may take three to five business days for submitted comments to be publicly visible. Only comments specific to the plan will be approved and posted. Comments with inappropriate, derogatory, or offensive language will not be posted. For comments submitted via email, email addresses will not be visible, however, names will be shown as submitted.
Dear CCPC, CCEEAB and Commissioners.
See attached the comments regarding the Chester County Climate Action Plan for the Phoenixville Area Clean Energy Action Plan. We look forward to working with all the stakeholders in solution to this climate crisis.
Thank you for your input and support of the Climate Action Plan. Your comments on specific actions are appreciated and will be considered in the next draft of the plan.
Thank you to the Chester County Planning Commission and Chester County Environmental and Energy Advisory Board for preparing this plan and considering public comments. Overall, I feel it is very thorough and well thought out, and a great step forward for the County. However, I would generally like to see more discussion of, and actions directed towards, the topics of climate justice and equity, green jobs, and resiliency. Reference to current, real-life effects of climate change that affect Chester County citizens (e.g. the frequent power outages and flooding caused by more severe storms) could be addressed in the plan, and discussion of how many initiatives may be funded through energy savings would help engage some of the plan’s skeptics. Additionally, since this is a plan that theoretically plans out to 2050, some thought should be given to cutting edge green technologies that will likely be commonplace in the next 30 years, such as autonomous electric vehicles and associated ride sharing options.
My notes on specific pages are as follows:
P20: The section on Fostering Social Equity describes the ways in which Landscapes3 addresses social equity. However, this seems to me like “passing the buck”, when there are plenty of opportunities where this Climate Action Plan can also address social equity problems as they relate to climate change and resiliency.
P27: Paragraph 3 states that the EEAB has reviewed and recommended milestones & strategies to achieve the County’s goals. However, there is no mention of who will be responsible for implementing initiatives and measuring & tracking goals. Because, as paragraph 4 mentions, significant reductions in GHG emissions will take significant effort and coordination, I feel it is paramount to this plan’s success that the County create, fund and staff a Climate Action Office to ensure the goals are achieved.
P37: Suggest adding “A3. Create, fund and staff a dedicated Climate Action Office” as opposed to the weaker language used later in F6. Suggest creating a Green Revolving Fund to utilize energy cost savings to fund this office and future climate initiatives.
P38: Suggest changing title to “Increase building energy efficiency and resiliency” and adding actions to ensure municipal buildings are resilient to the future effects of climate change.
P39: Suggest changing title to “incorporate sustainable and resilient design in County buildings & facilities” adding actions to ensure resiliency is considered in all future capital improvement projects.
P39: Suggest adding action for County to divest of fossil fuels in its pension fund investments, and create models for municipalities to do the same.
P42: Suggest adding actions related to encourage sustainability in the residential and multi-family housing industries, as well as with developers, builders, landlords, and low income housing. The ideas mentioned below from Paula Kline, among others, can be incorporated here. Suggest adding an action to create a model for municipalities to incorporate building energy efficiency requirements or incentives into point of resale or rental inspections.
P42: Suggest adding actions related to equity, environmental justice, and green jobs as they relate to buildings and housing
P51: Suggest adding actions that would aid low-income residents with their transportation needs while reducing GHG emissions. Since public transportation infrastructure grows very slowly and is not likely to cover all of Chester County, consider subsidizing the use of third party ride-sharing options for low-income residents and seniors, such as Uber pool. The impacts would be further reduced as electric and autonomous vehicles become incorporated into these company’s models.
P57: A2. Suggest specifying that local composters, especially minority and women owned businesses, should be prioritized for composting contracts.
P58: Suggest adding actions that simultaneously reduce food waste while increasing food security for low-income residents and seniors, such as creating online exchanges where farmers connect with restaurants and hunger relief charities to redirect “ugly” crops away from the landfill. Additional focus on targeting food deserts within the County should be considered.
P63: Suggest adding actions to increase healthy vegetarian and vegan food options, and increasing promotion of plant based eating, at County facilities to reduce GHG emissions from consuming meat and dairy.
P64: Suggest adding actions to encourage or provide models for municipalities, schools, and businesses to promote plant based eating and increase healthy vegetarian and vegan food options. Additionally, add actions to increase education to citizens about the benefits of plant based eating and impact of meat and dairy to the environment.
P65: Suggest adding actions related to environmental education in schools, supporting outdoor programs for low-income residents, and increasing access to outdoor recreation for low-income residents and seniors.
P68: This section describes the ways in which the Hazard Mitigation Plan addresses climate change risks and resiliency. However, this seems to me like “passing the buck”, when there are plenty of opportunities where this Climate Action Plan can also address climate change risks ad resiliency solutions.
Thank you for taking the time to consider my comments. I look forward to seeing the final plan and, even better, its implementation!
Paloma Vila, PE
Thank you for your input on the Climate Action Plan. We appreciate your suggestions in the areas of climate justice, social equity, and resiliency and will take them into consideration as we work on the next draft of the plan and move towards implementation.
Thank you for this effort to protect the future of our children. There is an important role for all of us to play, and it matters tremendously that our local government lead by example. This plan will need a strong and inclusive implementation team. I urge you to commit the resources necessary to fully implement these recommendations. Ideally, our county, as others have done in other states, can also help organize municipal efforts and sponsor voluntary initiatives for residents, businesses, schools and health facilities. To achieve the ambitious and critical goals set out in this plan, we will want to generate interest in every sector of the community.
Thank you for your input and for your support of the Climate Action Plan.
This Climate Action Plan is so important to the future of our County. I hope the County will hire a clean energy transition manager to oversee the county operations’ transition. Facing such an urgent situation, having a professional with a laser focus and responsibility for meeting goals and targets makes the most sense. I also hope the county will organize support for community wide efficiency measures and advocate with PECO to dramatically increase the percent of default service electricity from solar and wind.
Thank you for your input and for your support of the Climate Action Plan.
I feel this plan would be incredibly beneficial for the county to adopt, and encourage the creation of and office or specific position to coordinate this effort. Representatives from townships or segments of the county would also be useful, as it would help increase adoption rate and local advocacy.
Thank you for your input and for your support of the Climate Action Plan.
Create a climate change office!
Thank you for your input on the Climate Action Plan.
Create a Climate action office.
Thank you for your input on the Climate Action Plan.
“Create a Climate Action Office”
Thank you for your input on the Climate Action Plan.
Create a Climate Action Office in Chester County to educate citizens and ensure that the plan is implemented. Planning for a livable future for ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren
is not political.
Thank you for your input on the Climate Action Plan.
Create a Climate Action Office
Thank you for your input on the Climate Action Plan.
Create a climate action office
Thank you for your input on the Climate Action Plan.
Create a Climate Action Office!
From my experience working as chairs of both Arts & Culture and Environmental Advisory Council for West Pikeland Township, a person needs to lead this initiative to listen, learn and lead this new unitive, otherwise it will not achieve these ambitious and comprehensive goals as spelled out. We cannot afford waiting for ad hoc committees to make decisions, we need a talented advocate in charge to drive these actions forward.
Thank you for your input on the Climate Action Plan.
Please create a Climate Action Office in Chester County. This is essential to our success on the county and municipal levels!
Thank you for your input on the Climate Action Plan.
County level action in clean energy planning for the future is long overdue. The future is now. We’ve had to plan for emergencies in nuclear and fossil fuels for so many years . We also need solar energy and micro grids for resiliencey now with so many storms. We need a county Director of Sustainability.
Thank you for your input on the Climate Action Plan.
Create a climate action office.
Thank you for your input on the Climate Action Plan.
A Chester County Climate Action Office would help to prioritize and focus the work needed to decrease our County and municipalities carbon footprint, and conserve our natural resources. The County can provide leadership to constituent townships.
Thank you for your input on the Climate Action Plan