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Millbrae reports greenhouse-gas progress: 61% of 2030 reduction target achieved; building energy remains largest source
Summary
City staff presented a climate action-plan progress report and the 2023 greenhouse-gas inventory showing Millbrae has reached 61% of its 2030 reduction goal; buildings and on-road transportation are the largest emission sources and staff outlined outreach and incentive priorities.
City staff told the Millbrae City Council on May 13 that the city's updated 2023 greenhouse-gas inventory indicates Millbrae has achieved roughly 61% of its targeted reductions toward the 2030 goal the city adopted in its Climate Action Plan.
Program manager Andrea Papajan presented the inventory prepared by county consultants and said the baseline used by the city is 2005; that baseline measured roughly 26,825 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MT CO2e). The 2030 target adopted in Millbrae's CAP is 49% below the 2005 baseline. The 2023 inventory showed the city at about 89,175 MT CO2e and staff said that corresponds to being 61% of the way to the target.
Papajan emphasized that building energy (electricity and natural gas in homes and businesses) accounts for about 50% of Millbrae's emissions and on-road transportation about 42%, together representing the bulk of reductions the city needs. Staff recommended a set of near-term priorities including incentives and education to reduce residential natural-gas use, partnering for residential energy audits (BayREN), assisting Mills High School with potential boiler-to-heat-pump conversions if grants are available, a pilot private-property shade-tree planting effort, pursuit of transportation authority grant funds for active-transportation programs, and outreach to increase electric-vehicle miles traveled (EVMT) and EV incentives.
Council members and residents asked about data timing (the inventory covers through 2023; 2024 data are not yet available), and implementation details such as incentives for multifamily EV charging and whether energy consumption or cleaner electricity generation drove the emissions decline. Papajan and city manager Tom Williams said some reductions came from Peninsula Clean Energy's renewable electricity supply and from state measures such as limits on small off-road gasoline engines. The council received the report and will consider implementation steps in future sessions.
