Environmental Sustainability Board elects new leaders, approves 2025 work plan after council asks board to evaluate single-use bags

The Los Alamos Environmental Sustainability Board elected a new chair and vice chair and approved its 2025 work plan Thursday evening, formally adopting a work program that includes a council-requested evaluation of single-use plastic bags.

The board elected Shannon to chair the Environmental Sustainability Board and Sue Barnes to serve as vice chair for 2025. At the same meeting the board voted to approve the 2025 work plan as amended; members discussed carrying out or supporting studies on electric-vehicle (EV) infrastructure and fleet conversion, soliciting energy-audit services, expanding food-composting and food-waste-prevention efforts, and standing up outreach and education working groups ahead of Earth Day.

Why it matters: the approved work plan sets the board’s priorities and assigns it several council-directed tasks. Council specifically asked the board to evaluate options around single-use plastic bags, including recycling feasibility, alternative options, cost to the county, and engagement with local businesses. The board’s decisions determine what studies and public outreach Los Alamos will prioritize this year.

Most important actions • Leadership: The board elected Shannon to chair the Environmental Sustainability Board and Sue Barnes to serve as vice chair for 2025; both elections passed unanimously. The board discussed seat rearrangement after the vote and thanked outgoing chair Joe for his prior service.

• Work plan approval: The board approved the 2025 Environmental Sustainability Board work plan “as amended,” following a lengthy review and edits made during the meeting. The plan includes specific “special projects and assignments” directed by county council and the department director; members emphasized the need to focus on Climate Action Plan implementation while coordinating with other boards and county departments to avoid duplicative work.

• Council assignment — single-use bag evaluation: The County Council instructed the board to evaluate single-use plastic bags; the board added that evaluation to its formal list of assignments. Members noted the topic has been reviewed locally several times in the past decade (including proposals discussed in 2019) and that the study should consider prior analyses, business impacts, and existing retailer practices. One board member noted an internal expectation that the board complete that evaluation within roughly six months; the board discussed standing up a dedicated working group to carry out outreach and collect background research.

Supporting details and context Board members repeatedly urged the group to prioritize Climate Action Plan implementation and to coordinate with other local bodies so tasks land with the entity best positioned to deliver them. Members recommended explicitly naming partner boards in the work plan (for example, Board of Public Utilities for energy-audit work and the Transportation Board for EV infrastructure) so the plan clarifies where collaboration or handoffs are appropriate.

Specific items discussed that are included in the work plan or identified as follow-up tasks: - EV studies and fleet conversion: county staff reported council funding and direction for an EV infrastructure study and a fleet-conversion study; staff described an internal working group (fleet manager, staff lead, and an engineer from the utilities department) that would lead procurement and technical work and invited board volunteers to serve on a steering/working committee to provide input. Members discussed public-facing engagement and educational outreach tied to the studies.

- Energy-audit solicitation: the board discussed soliciting energy-audit services for residential or municipal facilities; members noted overlap with work the Board of Public Utilities is funding (surveys and data collection) and recommended coordination to avoid duplication. The board discussed legal and procurement issues associated with offering audits or incentives.

- Food composting and waste prevention: the work plan incorporates council-supported budget options to advance a municipal food-composting program and waste-prevention outreach. Staff said a separate grant application for food-composting-related funding remains pending.

- Outreach and education: members agreed on forming topic-focused outreach/education working groups rather than a single, open-ended committee. The board discussed breaking efforts by audience (for example, youth vs. adults) or by topic (energy, waste, EVs) and agreed to collect member preferences and a calendar of events (Earth Day and other spring events were mentioned) before finalizing groups. Staff said they would poll members about working-group interest and provide a tentative implementation calendar for the next meeting.

Process, timing and next steps The board emphasized quarterly checkpoints and a timeline so tasks do not pile up late in the year. Staff said the finalized work plan will go to the County Council working group reviewing board work plans; staff intends to submit the plan by the council deadline later this month. Members also asked staff to compile historic materials and prior analyses on the single-use-bag topic to support the new evaluation.

What was not decided Board members discussed, but did not take a final vote on, detailed scopes for the EV and energy-audit studies or a final membership list for outreach working groups. The single-use plastic-bag evaluation was added as a board assignment and members agreed to stand up a working group and gather background materials, but no formal ordinance, fee, or ban was proposed or adopted at the meeting.

Taper: Staff and board members flagged the upcoming Earth Day outreach and a planned site visit to an Albuquerque building-energy monitoring program as near-term activities. Members asked staff to circulate a meeting calendar and a short timeline for working-group deliverables ahead of the next ESB meeting so volunteers can match time commitments with likely scope.