Draft climate action plan, tree-planting and pilot programs outlined for El Paso

Climate and sustainability staff briefed the City Plan Commission on a two-year, community-driven draft climate action plan and several near-term pilot programs during the January meeting. Fernando Verano, presenting for Climate & Sustainability, said the plan covers El Paso and adjacent counties, was submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency in December and is expected to go to City Council for approval in March.

Verano said the plan includes 53 actions: "39 of those focus on air quality" and 14 focus on adaptation measures such as flood, heat and drought vulnerability assessments. He identified emissions by sector, saying the transportation sector accounts for roughly "48%" of greenhouse gas emissions and buildings and facilities about "46%" (the speaker noted a typographical error in a slide for buildings/facilities).

Staff outlined three pilot programs they plan to scale if successful: a 9-15 Tree Keepers neighborhood tree-planting program that aims to place 300 trees this season (150 planted to date) with a limit of two trees per household and a five-household minimum per block; a cool-roof program for income-qualified households that staff said will appear on the next City Council agenda; and a solar installation program for qualified nonprofits and small businesses funded through a U.S. Department of Energy grant, which staff hope to begin in March.

During public comment a resident raised concerns about refinery emissions, a perceived lack of local air-monitoring stations and urged use of native Chihuahuan Desert species rather than palo verdes for plantings. Verano responded that the draft plan includes actions to install and share more air-quality monitoring data, and he acknowledged the tree-species concern, saying the program uses regional lists from El Paso Water and the Parks Department.