El Paso seeks community input for first Climate Action Plan
El Paso, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — The City of El Paso’s Office of Climate and Sustainability is actively engaging the community to shape the region’s inaugural Climate Action Plan (CAP).
The office launched its third series of community engagement events at the Boys and Girls Club of El Paso, aiming to gather public input on environmental priorities.
Michelle Arnold, a participant at the open house, emphasized the collective responsibility in addressing climate issues.
“We are all part of this community and we all have to do our part,” Arnold said. “We all have to see what we can learn, what we can contribute. Like, how can we, you know, just make our city, our state, our world better?”
El Paso has experienced a significant rise in average temperatures, climbing more than 5% since 1970, according to Climate Central. This increase ranks as the third highest among U.S. cities.
Arnold stressed the importance of long-term planning.
“We got to look down the line. We got to look 100 years from now, 80 years from now,” she said. “We can’t just be looking at what’s next year. No, we got to look to the future.”
The Office of Climate and Sustainability, established in February 2023, is spearheading the CAP development.
“We got a grant for planning from the EPA. So that’s money we’re using for this planning effort,” Berjano said.
The Chihuahuan Desert Climate Collaborative (CDCC), formed shortly after, received a $1 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to fund the planning process. This funding supports a series of open houses designed to gather community input.
In November 2022, El Paso voters approved a bond allocating $5.2 million for CAP implementation. However, Berjano noted that this amount might not cover all projects.
“5.2 is not going to be enough to implement the whole plan,” he said. “That might be in some cases one project, two projects, depending on the size of those projects.”
Improving air quality, planting more trees, and lowering energy costs are currently among the most popular topics in the plan. The CDCC will host its second open house of the series on March 5.
Community members to share their input in person at the open houses or online via the CDCC website.
The CDCC plans to conduct two more series of community engagement events, with the final CAP due in December. The city aims to begin implementing the project early next year.
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