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Farmers Branch preliminary 2023 greenhouse‑gas inventory shows drop from 2019 benchmark
Summary
City staff presented preliminary results from a 2023 greenhouse‑gas inventory showing reductions in total and per‑capita emissions versus the committee's 2019 benchmark; staff said municipal solar, cleaner grid electricity and fleet changes drove much of the decline.
City staff presented preliminary results of a 2023 greenhouse‑gas inventory to the Farmers Branch Sustainability Committee, reporting preliminary decreases in total and per‑capita emissions compared with the committee's 2019 benchmark.
Alex, a city sustainability staff member, said the city completed separate inventories for the community and for municipal operations and used the ICLEI ClearPath software and regional grid emission factors to standardize calculations. He said the community and municipal totals are both trending downward in preliminary figures under technical review by the software vendor.
The inventory compares the 2023 data against a 2019 baseline the city used previously. Staff cited several drivers behind the reductions: a cleaner electricity mix on the ERCOT grid, energy efficiency work and added solar installations on municipal buildings, and greater vehicle efficiency and additional electric vehicles in the municipal fleet. Alex told the committee that four municipal buildings now have solar arrays and that the grid emission factors for 2023 reflect a higher share of wind and solar than in 2019.
Committee members asked whether tree canopy and carbon sequestration were included. Alex said tree carbon sequestration was not included in the inventory as presented but could be modeled separately using tree‑survey data and standard sequestration assumptions used by partners such as Texas Trees Foundation. He noted the city has conducted multiple tree giveaways and that Texas Trees Foundation provides a 20‑year sequestration estimate for planted trees.
The presentation also discussed methane and landfill emissions. Alex explained the city captures and burns landfill methane in generator systems to produce electricity; the burn converts methane into carbon dioxide, which has a lower global warming potential than unmanaged methane.
No formal target or council action was adopted during the meeting. Alex said the city intends to update inventories every four years going forward, and that staff may align future schedules with a regional inventory being managed by the North Central Texas Council of Governments. He recommended using the 2023 baseline to inform future sustainability goals and capital projects such as additional solar or LED retrofits.
The committee requested follow‑up analysis comparing Farmers Branch emissions per capita to nearby cities and a separate estimate of carbon sequestration from trees and tree giveaways for presentation to the City Council.
