Agenda Packets - 2013/02/04 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Summary This report outlines the recommendations for developing a "Green Star Award Expansion' for Minnesota cities and communities to help meet the state's greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals, as required by the Laws of Minnesota 2008, Chapter 356, Section 13. We recommend this concept be developed into a program called "GreenStep Cities." The plan for this program was collaboratively developed by a broad public-private partnership, and represents the work of dozens of people spending hundreds of hours contributing to the effort. In this era of concern for spending public dollars wisely, we believe this program would achieve efficiencies by developing common and effective approaches for local governments to save energy while also achieving other beneficial environmental outcomes. The workgroup recommends focusing existing efforts at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's Prevention and Assistance Division under the umbrella of the GreenStep Cities program. This would be developed as an action -oriented voluntary program for local governments, starting with cities, that provides a cost-effective and simple pathway to encourage the adoption of sustainable development best practices focusing on greenhouse gas reduction. It would also be an avenue for providing technical assistance to local governments from state agencies, utilities, nonprofit organizations, and others. This program would have the following goals and outcomes: • Achieve meaningful reductions in greenhouse gases and other positive environmental outcomes; • Provide assistance for local governments to achieve best practices in energy use reduction and sustainable development; • Provide a "Pathway to Sustainability" that is cost-effective, pragmatic, and achievable for all cities; • Identify specific existing state agency staff and others who are committed to and technically able to help cities implement each specific best practice; • Promote innovation; • Inspire and assist residents, businesses, and community institutions to take action; and • Recognize local governments for their past accomplishments and their new efforts spurred by the program. Program Design Program design elements are included with this report to improve the ease with which a program could be implemented quickly and utilize/benefit from federal energy efficiency funding. The worlcgroup recommends that the program have the following characteristics: • Best practices should be straightforward and selected using simple criteria; • Program should be built around required and optional best practices in four practice areas (buildings & facilities, transportation, land use planning, and environmental management & economic development); • Program should take a tiered approach, focusing first on cost- effective options for greenhouse gas reductions; • Local governments that accomplish an initial set of best practices should be recognized for a period of three years by the state; • The MPCA Prevention and Assistance Division should administer the program as a public-private partnership by reprioritizing work of existing staff; and • Program should be called "GreenStep Cities." Next Steps The worlcgroup recommends the following as the next steps for implementing the program: • Refine program design; • Start beta version of program; • Conduct additional analytic work to assess the economic, energy, greenhouse gas, and other environmental benefits of implementing each best practice; • Monitor development of STAR Community Index and other programs cities may be looking at; and • Assemble an advisory committee to help set the program requirements and advise on program implementation. Minnesota GreenStep Cities Program Proposal 1