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Bloomington council hears 2023 greenhouse-gas inventory; city on track for 2030 target, must accelerate for 2050
Summary
City sustainability staff and Climate Nave presented Bloomington's 2023 greenhouse-gas inventory, which shows community emissions declining (driven largely by grid decarbonization) and municipal wastewater and solid-waste processes as priority areas for further reductions.
Bloomington council members heard a presentation of the city's 2023 greenhouse-gas inventory showing overall community emissions have declined and that the city is on track to meet its 2030 target but will need intensified action to reach its 2050 goal.
Shawn Mia, assistant director of sustainability for the Economic and Sustainable Development Department, introduced the report and noted the inventory was completed by vendor Climate Nave and delayed because of late utility data from CenterPoint Energy. "We anticipate annual greenhouse gas inventories to be published in a timely manner moving forward," Mia said.
Wes De Silvestro, president and CEO of Climate Nave, told the council community-wide emissions have fallen over the past two decades largely because Duke Energy has decommissioned coal-fired generation and added renewables. De Silvestro said the largest community source is stationary energy (electricity and building heating), transportation accounts for just under 15 percent (including activity at Monroe County Regional Airport and on-road travel), and solid-waste and wastewater contribute about 7.7 percent.
"For the first time ever, we've conducted a municipal operations inventory," De Silvestro said, explaining the municipal-level profile differs from community totals. At the municipal level he reported stationary energy makes up about 34.3 percent of city operations emissions, transportation about 23.3 percent (city fleet plus Bloomington Transit), and biological/chemical emissions from wastewater and solid-waste are the largest municipal source; wastewater processes alone account for roughly 42.4 percent of municipal emissions.
Council members asked what share of the downward trend is driven by utility-scale changes versus local conservation. De Silvestro and Mia said grid decarbonization has been a major factor but stressed municipal projects and resident programs also contribute. Mia said the city has selected a cohort of municipal buildings for ASHRAE level 2 energy audits; those audits will identify energy-conservation measures and estimated return on investment that will inform upcoming budget decisions.
Mia also described revised local grant programs aimed at reducing residential and small-business emissions: the Bloomington Green Home Improvement program now offers larger rebates for low-income residents on solar, battery storage and weatherization; a separate solar, efficiency and lighting program will allow small businesses and nonprofits to receive battery energy storage as well as solar installations; and assistance is available for EV charging upgrades.
Mia highlighted an ongoing city LED retrofit at City Hall, which is projected to cut lighting energy costs by about 67 percent and reduce roughly 164.8 tons of CO2 annually once completed.
De Silvestro urged the council to consider wastewater-treatment investments such as anaerobic digesters to address municipal emissions and said the city's climate-action dashboard (linked from the city website) provides sector-by-sector guidance for residents and departments.
The council did not take any formal action on the report. Staff said inventory results and audit recommendations will be used to inform the coming budget cycle and program priorities; the climate-action dashboard and the municipal audit reports will be published for public review.
