For Immediate Release: Thursday, February 23, 2023
Montgomery County has released the second-quarter update of its Fiscal Year 2023 Climate Work Plan, highlighting ongoing work on the County’s Climate Action Plan. In the second quarter of FY23, progress was made on more than 50 actions to help reach the goals of the plan.
The Climate Action Plan (CAP), unveiled in 2021, is a strategic plan to reduce community-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 80 percent by 2027 and by 100 percent by 2035. The plan seeks to reduce climate-related risks to the County’s residents, businesses and the built and natural environments.
The quarterly progress report summarizes the efforts undertaken by County departments and agencies to implement the CAP through innovative and collaborative projects in clean energy, building, transportation, carbon sequestration, climate adaptation, climate governance, public engagement and zero waste.
“In 2021, we launched one of the most aggressive Climate Action Plans in the nation with the goal of eliminating 100 percent of our greenhouse gas emissions by 2035,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “Some of our actions are nationally recognized like our Brookville Smart Energy Bus Depot – the largest solar bus charging infrastructure project in the country. And just last week President Biden gave a shoutout to Montgomery County, highlighting our work to purchase new hydrogen fuel cell buses and build a new hydrogen fueling station. I am proud of our work and the commitment to climate action by the County Government and all the people we serve.”
Adriana Hochberg, the County’s climate change officer and acting director of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), said the County is moving swiftly to address recommendations made in the CAP.
“To achieve the County’s climate goals, we need to continue to accelerate our efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from our buildings, transportation and energy sectors, and to take steps to become more climate resilient,” said Ms. Hochberg. “The actions in the Q2 report reflect a Countywide effort to address climate change head-on. This quarterly report demonstrates the County’s commitment to transparency and accountability to our community, the County and the planet.”
The quarterly progress report summarizes the efforts undertaken by County departments and agencies for the period of Oct. 1-Dec. 30 (Quarter 2 of FY23) to implement the CAP. Quarterly progress reporting on the status of CAP implementation fosters public transparency and accountability.
Highlights of Quarter 2 progress include:
To view the Quarter 2 FY23 Climate Work Plan progress report, click here.
For more information about the Climate Action Plan, visit the Climate Action Portal.
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Release ID: 23-083