Charlotte council hears updated Strategic Energy Action Plan; adoption scheduled for May 27

Heather Bullock, the city of Charlotte’s chief sustainability and resiliency officer, presented an updated Strategic Energy Action Plan (SEAP/CIAP update) Tuesday, asking the City Council to consider adoption at its May 27 meeting.

Bullock told the council the update builds on the 2018 plan and sets new, science‑aligned targets for community and municipal emissions while adding a goal for distributed renewables. "The CIAP update is an update to the 2018 strategic energy action plan," Bullock said, and she described the document as a “roadmap for sustainability” developed with technical advisors, community ambassadors and internal city staff.

The plan sets new community goals to reduce citywide greenhouse gas emissions 72% by 2035 and reach net zero by 2050, and it adds a target to install 600 megawatts of distributed renewable energy in Charlotte by 2035. Municipal goals in the plan call for Charlotte to source 100% of municipal building electricity from zero‑carbon sources by 2030, reach net zero emissions in municipal buildings by 2050, bring the city’s light‑duty fleet to net zero by 2035 and its full fleet by 2050. Bullock highlighted examples of progress the city said it already has achieved, including 330 city‑owned EV charging ports, several on‑site solar systems (with two more expected online this year) and a secured off‑site 80‑megawatt solar project coming online next year.

Why it matters: the plan is the city’s principal framework for aligning energy, building, transportation and resilience work across departments and community partners. The draft ties greenhouse gas reduction goals to concrete program priorities — buildings, energy generation, and transportation — and adds workforce development and equity measures intended to center vulnerable neighborhoods.

Council response and questions

Council members praised the outreach and the plan’s emphasis on equity. Council Member Marjorie Molina (District 5) said she appreciated the reach of community engagement and noted the plan previously passed unanimously out of the Transportation Planning and Development (TPD) Committee. "Thank you, Miss Bullock, for all of your work," Molina said.

Council Member Dimple Ajmera thanked staff for implementation steps and for incorporating the tree canopy work into the energy document: "First let me first thank Heather, Sarah, and the entire team for a great job with the implementation," Ajmera said.

Council Member LaJuana Mayfield pressed staff on environmental tradeoffs linked to growth and new industries, including potential data centers and battery‑electrification impacts. Mayfield asked whether staff were assessing the cumulative environmental footprint of large industrial projects and whether the city is tracking electric vehicle (EV) battery end‑of‑life and recycling. "I do not want them bringing all their pollution with them," Mayfield said of prospective large facilities. Bullock replied that the team is beginning to track battery end‑of‑life as EVs enter retirement and that staff would follow up with departments to improve tracking.

Bullock also described targeted pilots and programs cited in the update: the Power Down the Crown commercial benchmarking and recognition program, an upcoming Solarize residential outreach campaign, an energy‑efficiency pilot using Duke Energy programs to assist low‑income residents, and the Pepper Tree affordable housing demonstration that pairs energy retrofits, a health clinic and an on‑site car‑share program.

What’s next

Bullock asked the council to schedule a vote to adopt the plan on May 27 so staff can begin immediate development of implementation strategies in 2025. She told the council the plan was developed using community input and technical review and that public comments “support the overall intention” of the update.

Ending

Council members gave generally positive feedback and asked for follow‑up on several technical points: the city’s approach to cumulative environmental impacts when large facilities are proposed, details on EV battery recycling and landfill risk, and more information on workforce and private‑sector partnerships. Staff said they will publish detailed responses to public comments and continue one‑on‑one conversations with neighborhoods before the May 27 council vote.