Washoe County Commissioners adopt a Climate Action Plan

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) — The Washoe County Board of Commissioners is adopting a Climate Action Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. “I think the best time to introduce a massive plan like this was 20 years ago. There’s a saying, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now,” said Brian Beffort, the County’s Sustainability Manager.

Vice Chair Jeanne Herman was the lone “nay” vote.

“What it really means is, helping the county and everyone in the county lower their energy bills and clean the air and help us become a more resilient community as we move into a more uncertain future.”

The Plan consists of 126 actions to reduce emissions across four sectors. Land use, transportation, buildings and waste. “But it is really buildings and cars. People driving to and from those buildings and how can we make those as energy efficient as possible,” said Beffort.

The plan aims to address concerns about the cost of living, rising heat, wildfire risk and air quality. It includes strategies that can be implemented on the county and community levels.

“It starts with the easy things like switching out light bulbs,” said Beffort. “LED light bulbs save a lot of energy and they last a lot longer. We are doing that in our facilities and we need to continue that work.”

Beffort also recommends more trees, Weatherizing your home, sealing the cracks around your windows, and improving insulation to manage energy costs.

There is uncertainty about funding, being the action plan says it will not call for general or federal funds.

“Washoe County has acquired several grants to move some of these initiatives forward. Those grants have been paused and maybe halted because of President Trump. That is concerning if we want to implement these solutions quickly to benefit people. I don’t know what those answers are but it does start with looking at the return on investment,” added Beffort.

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