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Reaffirming Saint Paul's commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and pledging to meet Compact of Mayors Milestones.
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WHEREAS, the Saint Paul City Council and Mayor Chris Coleman are dedicated to making Saint Paul one of the most sustainable cities in the United States and to protecting our city’s air, water, and urban landscape; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Chris Coleman signed the U.S. Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement in 2006 and has prioritized during his administration, and the City of Saint Paul has a history of, reducing energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, advancing clean and renewable energy, increasing energy efficiency and green development, increasing use of clean and fuel efficiency of municipal fleet vehicles and working to create a sustainable transportation system and solid waste options; and
WHEREAS, in 2003 and in partnership with the City, District Energy St. Paul reduced GHG emissions by more than 106,000 metric tons annually through the development of local biomass-fired combined heat and power servicing 80 percent of downtown buildings; and
WHEREAS, in 2008, with the City’s support, Xcel Energy converted 250 megawatt (MW) coal-burning power plant to a 570 MW gas-fired combined-cycle plant reducing over 90 percent of particulates, nitrous oxide and sulfur dioxide, 100 percent of mercury emissions, and 415,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually; and
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul received $2,767,000 of one-time funding in 2009 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and, working with Xcel Energy and Center for Energy and Environment, utilized $850,000 and leveraged $346,000 Xcel Energy rebates to complete 110 energy-efficiency projects in 60 facilities reducing the city’s energy use by nearly 30 percent and 4,977,997 pounds of CO2 emissions; and
WHEREAS, the Saint Paul Energy Smart Homes program coordinated by the Neighborhood Energy Connection, used $550,000 of ARRA funds and $441,000 in Neighborhood STAR funds, while leveraging $733,000 in homeowner equity, to make 239 no-interest loans to Saint Paul homeowners to make energy saving improvements to their homes, which will result in an estimated annual reduction of 278,913 pounds of CO2; and
WHEREAS, the Saint Paul Inspiring Communities program rehabbed 89 vacant and foreclosed homes making significant energy saving improvements to each property including the installation of efficient furnaces, air conditioners, water heaters, refrigerators, dishwashers, and clothes washers and adding insulation to attics and side walls, which will result in an estimated annual reduction of 389,820 pounds of CO2; and
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul also used ARRA funds to install light emitting diode street lights and electric vehicle charging stations, purchase 4 electric vehicles, provide small grants to neighborhood organizations, and develop with the Saint Paul Port Authority a commercial loan program to further reduce energy use and GHG emission; and
WHEREAS, the Saint Paul Sustainable Building Policy, which was developed in partnership with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Center for Sustainable Building Research, and many others, and which requires a high level of environmental attainment for all newly constructed City buildings and private development that receive more than $200,000 of public investment, including CHS Field, The Penfield, and Hamline Station, and which is currently being applied to over 30 projects, is projected to create annual utility savings of $1,199,000 and a reduction of 11,000 tons (22,000,000 pounds) of CO2 Equivalents compared to buildings built to code, for the first 16 buildings reporting data; and
WHEREAS, in 2008, the City of Saint Paul was declared a Solar America City by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), worked to become a regional leader in promoting solar energy, and secured $1.5 million in state and federal grants and funding from $347,300 rebates from Xcel Energy to install ten photovoltaic arrays totally over 225 kilowatts and including a $555,575 grant for a 100 kilowatt system at the new CHS Field for a combined 320 kilowatts reducing CO2 emissions by 803,00 pounds of CO2; and
WHEREAS, in 2011 the City of Saint Paul received a $1.1 million grant from DOE and worked with District Energy St. Paul to install the country’s largest solar thermal array and the first in the U.S. to be integrated into district energy heating system. The 1.2 MW (thermal equivalent) system is located at the Saint Paul RiverCentre and reduces 400,000 pounds of carbon which equivalent to avoiding 431,993 vehicle miles and there two additional solar thermal projects are on municipal facilities further reducing GHG emissions; and
WHEREAS, the Saint Paul RiverCentre Convention Center has earned Existing Building LEED certification and Green Globes certification through numerous green improvements that include on-site solar energy, wind energy, lighting and energy efficiency upgrades, and recycling expansion which has led to reducing the carbon footprint of its operations by 62% since 2007; and
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul has a long-standing and innovative recycling program serving residents in single-family and multi-unit dwellings, municipal facilities and public spaces and has collected 100,745 tons of recyclable material in the last 5 years and reduced 218,409 metric tons of CO2 equivalent; and
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul has worked with the Metropolitan Council, Ramey County Regional Rail Authority, transit advocates like Transit for Livable Communities, Smart Trips, Women on Bikes, and Bicycle Minnesota, and vendors NiceRide, HourCar, and car2go to develop a multi-model transit system, comprehensive bicycle plan and innovative bicycle and car sharing programs to reduce fossil fuel use and emissions; and
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul is currently working with Macalester College, Science Museum of Minnesota, and several neighborhood organizations to explore models for community engagement on climate adaption and to create a Ready & Resilient Guide to extreme weather for Saint Paul residents; and
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul is one of 22 communities participating in the Urban Land Institute's Minnesota’s Regional Indicators initiative to measure annually performance metrics and to aid in sustainability planning; and
WHEREAS, Saint Paul City department directors, key management, and numerous city staff have attended conferences, trainings, and peer learnings with the National League of Cities, Sustainable Communities Institute, the Science Museum of Minnesota and others regarding latest climate science, innovative mitigation strategies and to understand the impacts and opportunities to adapt and to create a resilient community; and
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul was a founding partner to the Saint Paul EcoDistrict, a sustainability education platform developed with local businesses, facilities, utilities, and non-profit organizations to showcase technologies and best practices that conserve energy, develop innovative energy and waste management solutions, reduce the carbon profile of this sector of the city, and encourage climate and energy awareness throughout the state; and
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul secured a $40,000 Environmental Assistance Grant from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to develop a strategic climate resiliency framework for the city and establish four multi-disciplinary, multi-jurisdictional working groups focused on infrastructure, natural resources, emergency management and public health, and economy and social well-being; and
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul is already experiencing the impacts of climate change and according to Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessment Program (GLISA), has seen the average temperatures warm by 3.2 degrees Fahrenheit from1951 through 2012 and the length of the freeze-free season (growing season) increased by 16 days during the same period; and
WHEREAS, the future climate of Saint Paul will likely see an increase in the average temperature and freeze-free season with warmer winter temperatures, an increase in the number of days with high temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit and an increase in total precipitation with more heavy precipitation events; and
WHEREAS, as part of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative delegation, Mayor Chris Coleman and Environmental Policy Director Anne Hunt will be attending the UN Paris Climate Change Conference in Paris, France to discuss climate change impacts on major river basins like the Mississippi River and attend the Climate Summit for Local Leaders and the Compact of Mayors meetings; and
WHEREAS, the Compact of Mayors is a global coalition of mayors and city officials pledging to reduce local GHG emissions, enhance resiliency to climate change, and track their progress transparently; and
WHEREAS, the Compact of Mayors was developed and led by the three global city networks C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, United Cities and Local Governments and ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, of which the City of Saint Paul has been a member since 1993; and
WHEREAS, cities account for 70 percent of the world’s total energy-related carbon emissions and the potential impact of cities taking climate action in three sectors alone - buildings, transportation and waste - would make an impact greater than the total emissions of United States and 27 nations of the European Union combined; and
WHEREAS, the Compact of Mayors commits cities to common reporting processes that allow for consistent and reliable assessment of progress, establish GHG emissions targets, identify climate hazards, assess climate vulnerabilities, and develop climate action and resiliency plan; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, the City of Saint Paul reaffirms its commitment to reducing GHG, joins the Compact of Mayors and pledges to meet a series of ambitious milestones outlined in the Compact, to report annually on progress, and to disclose publicly the following information within the next three years:
• Conduct a greenhouse gas emissions inventory for the City of Saint Paul consistent with the Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories (GPC), within one year or less.
• Identify the climate hazards faced by our city, within one year or less.
• Create reduction targets of greenhouse gas emissions and establish a system of measurement, within two years or less.
• Conduct a climate vulnerabilities assessment using a Compact standard, within two years or less.
• Establish a climate action plan which outlines the City’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase local climate resiliency within three years or less.