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El Paso presents near-final Climate Action Plan draft; EPA grant-funded plan due to EPA Dec. 1
Summary
City staff reported broad public engagement for El Paso’s Climate Action Plan and said the EPA-funded planning deliverable is due Dec. 1. The plan outlines 53 actions across mitigation and adaptation measures and aims for phased implementation with short-, mid- and long-term steps.
City staff told the council on Nov. 18 they are finalizing the Climate Action Plan and expect to submit the technical deliverable for an EPA planning grant on Dec. 1.
Fernando Liano, who leads the project, summarized 22 months of public engagement — the planning team collected roughly 3,700 unique inputs and received more than 350 letters of support and 400 comments on an August draft. The technical work included a greenhouse-gas inventory and vulnerability analysis for 2030 and 2050. Staff said transportation and buildings are the largest local emissions sources and that the plan offers 53 actions across 10 strategic 'buckets' that address both mitigation (39 actions) and adaptation (14 actions) such as heat, flood and drought resilience.
The plan is funded by a $1 million EPA planning grant and Community Progress Bond funds; staff reported about $600,000 spent to date but said the grant runs through August 2027. Liano emphasized that implementation will require multiple funding streams — local budgets, bonds, utility programs, private investment and grants — and that many actions will rely on partnerships with state and federal entities where local authority is limited (for example, ports of entry and freight). The staff aim to bring a final plan to council for approval in February 2026.
Councilmembers praised the public-engagement approach and asked for more information on funding, projected emissions reductions under various scenarios and outreach to cross-border partners in Juárez. Staff said they have engaged Juárez officials and federal programs on air-monitoring collaboration and will continue bilateral outreach.
What’s next: submit technical deliverable to EPA (Dec. 1), continue refinement and prepare a final plan for council adoption in Feb. 2026; staff will also pursue pilot projects and funding options.
