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Draft Orange County climate action plan receives public pushback during board update
Summary
The board received and filed a draft county climate action plan; public commenters criticized elements ranging from battery storage and cloud seeding to perceived waste in vote-by-mail ballots, while staff and supervisors emphasized the plan is a county draft focused on county facilities and invited further public input.
County staff presented a preliminary climate action plan status update at the Sept. 24 Board of Supervisors meeting and members of the public contributed spirited comment.
Public commenter Ursin Russell raised concerns about perceived waste (he cited ballots as an example) and urged the county to consider prevention and waste reduction; county staff and the chair redirected the public speaker to the document’s scope and asked that comments address contents of the draft plan. Another commenter, Michelle Morgan, disputed scientific consensus on greenhouse gases and criticized proposed battery storage and other energy measures in the draft.
Supervisors stressed the plan is a draft and noted it primarily applies to county facilities, parks and harbors rather than city ordinances. “This document is obviously a work in progress,” one supervisor said, and the board encouraged continued public input at forums and via the county website.
Supervisor comments also noted the county’s objective to make practical, scaled reforms: the plan may be used as a template that cities can adopt or adapt, but it does not mandate city action. The board received and filed the report and called for further public outreach and refinement of the draft.
Public engagement will continue through forums and online resources; county staff said the plan will be refined in response to feedback.
