Amy has decided to drop out of the race for personal and professional reasons. She will continue to use this blog to share Boulder County News and Information about the current political scene in Boulder County Republican circles.
Jenny Hatch
Blog Mistress
Visionary Sustainable Energy Plan launches in Boulder County April 24
Countywide plan outlining goals, key strategies has been adopted by County and 6 cities, towns
(Boulder County, Colo.) - On April 24, towns, cities and the county government of Boulder County will set forth on a bold mission to significantly reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions in Boulder County through the implementation of a countywide Sustainable Energy Plan.
Tom Plant, Director of the Governor's Energy Office, and Heidi Van Genderen, the climate change advisor for Gov. Bill Ritter, will join more than a dozen current and former elected leaders from throughout the county in formally releasing the Boulder County Consortium of Cities Sustainable Energy Plan during a ceremony starting at 4 p.m. in the Hearing Room of the Boulder County Courthouse, 1325 Pearl St., Boulder.
"We have set ambitious goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions for Colorado. The measures to accomplish this literally will be implemented house by house, neighborhood by neighborhood, and city by city," Gov. Bill Ritter said. "Boulder county and its cities and towns are collaborating to implement real solutions and are striving for results that go above and beyond what's called for in the state Climate Action Plan. I applaud and thank the County for its leadership and vision."
The Sustainable Energy Plan is a collaborative, countywide guiding document that recommends 35 actions for local governments and others in Boulder County to take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make our communities more sustainable. Thus far, resolutions pledging to support and work towards implementing the plan have been adopted by Boulder County, the city of Boulder, Lafayette, Louisville, Longmont, Superior and Nederland. The towns of Lyons and Erie are scheduled to vote on the plan on April 21 and 22, respectively. Following Thursday's launch of the plan, participants will begin collaborative implementation efforts.
"This is a pivotal moment in Boulder County as we move towards establishing a sustainable future for ourselves and for future generations. We must act now if we want to achieve the changes necessary to reduce our contributions to climate change - and this plan lays out the actions we will take," Boulder County Commissioner Will Toor said.
The Sustainable Energy Plan was forged by the Boulder County Consortium of Cities Energy Strategy Task Force, working in concert with subject-matter experts and representatives of local businesses, environmental organizations and communities.
If implemented as laid out in the plan, the top 20 strategies, or key actions, outlined in the Sustainable Energy Plan will result in a reduction of emissions 40% below 2005 levels in the year 2020. This is a reduction nearly twice that called for by Gov. Ritter's Climate Action goal.
Key actions recommended by the plan include:
Boulder County and various municipalities have already implemented or begun implementing programs that embody some of the key actions, including energy awareness sweeps, discounts on efficient light bulbs, low-cost home energy audits, green building standards and solar installations for public buildings and green residential building codes. Some of the key actions call for change at a state level.
"While many communities across the nation have adopted greenhouse gas emissions reductions goals, Boulder County and the municipalities in the county are at the leading edge in terms of working together to implement meaningful strategies to reduce our impact on climate change," said Boulder County Sustainability Coordinator Ann Livingston. "We are proud to be a leader in this critical endeavor."
To view the final Sustainable Energy Plan in full, visit www.bouldercounty.org/sustain.
Open Forum Small Wind Powered Electric Generators
The following document summarizes my notes on the Open Forum Small Wind Powered Electric Generators meeting that was held on March 27th, 2008 in the Commissioners hearing room from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. What I have tried to do is let the public know what was discussed, and the issues that were brought up during the meeting. Currently if you utilize wind power turbines in the County that do not fall within the current height restrictions, or violate the current noise ordinance you are in violation of the law. Only those individuals who have met the criteria and applied for and received a variance from the Boulder County Commissioners are allowed the use of private wind powered turbines on their property. To me this is ironic for a County that is supposed to be one of the most "green" in the nation.
Citizens of Boulder County do have the option of using wind power that is supplied by Excel and are encouraged to do so. You can find an additional post to the website with information regarding this initiative that has gained national recognition for the County and its participation in the program.
Links to paste into your browser for more information:
Boulder County BuildSmart Program: http://www.bouldercounty.org/lu/buildsmart/
Final approved document in pdf format: http://www.bouldercounty.org/lu/buildsmart/pdf/FinalBuildSmartCodeAmendment031908.pdf
I apologize in advance for some incomplete sentences or for other grammatical errors as I was typing fast in order to get the gist of the conversation, and not necessarily every word.
If you need any clarification, please let me know and I will try and answer your question immediately, or at least do some research and point you in the correct direction.
Thanks for reading. - Amy
