Ross receives 2023 greenhouse gas inventory; council directs staff to update Climate Action Plan using Marin template

Marin Climate & Energy Partnership sustainability staff presented Ross’s 2023 community-wide greenhouse gas inventory to the Town Council on Oct. 9 and recommended a technical refresh of the town’s 2010 Climate Action Plan. Council members directed staff to begin a coordinated update, and staff said they would return with a draft for a study session in early 2026.

Christina O’Rourke, sustainability coordinator for the Marin Climate and Energy Partnership, said the inventory shows Ross’s community emissions are down about 22% from 1990 levels. The largest remaining source of emissions in Ross is natural gas use in buildings; electricity use now represents a small share of emissions because of cleaner regional grid supply. Transportation accounts for roughly one-third of remaining emissions, primarily from passenger vehicles.

Key figures in O’Rourke’s presentation included a 93% decline in emissions from electricity since 2005 (driven by cleaner grid generation), a 29% drop in transportation emissions and a roughly 50% reduction in waste-sector emissions. By contrast, natural gas emissions are down only about 1% since 2005; O’Rourke noted Ross households have comparatively high natural-gas use — an average of just over 1,300 therms per household per year.

Ross’s adoption of zero-emission vehicles is comparatively high: 17.5% of passenger vehicles registered to Ross residents were zero-emission by 2023 and 21% by 2024, among the highest rates in Marin County. O’Rourke recommended the town update its Climate Action Plan (CAP) using a template the Partnership has used for other Marin jurisdictions, focusing on actions that are feasible for a small town staff to implement and leveraging state and regional regulations and incentives.

Council members asked whether the update would adopt state targets or go beyond them. O’Rourke said the Partnership would start with state-aligned targets unless the council requested stricter measures; she noted that the statewide target is a 40% reduction below 1990 levels by 2030 and net-zero by 2045 (with removal accounting for part of the latter). She also described regional and state rules already affecting emissions outcomes, including the Bay Area Air District regulation phasing out the sale/installation of natural-gas residential water heaters (starting 2027) and space heaters (2029), and state vehicle and building standards that increase zero-emission vehicle adoption and electrification of appliances.

Council members indicated support for updating the CAP. Staff said the Partnership has funding to perform the update and estimated the staff time from the Partnership to be about 20 to 40 hours of work for the initial draft; staff and the Partnership will return with a draft and a study session in the first quarter of 2026. Council did not take a formal roll-call vote; direction was given during discussion and staff confirmed next steps.