District staff unveils 2023 greenhouse-gas baseline: 1,494 metric tons CO2e, operations-focused inventory

Consultants presented a draft greenhouse-gas inventory baseline for the district's 2023 operations, explaining methodology and next steps. The inventory covers only district operations (not community-wide emissions) and follows the local government protocol adopted with ICLEI/CARB guidance. Staff said the baseline will inform future grant applications and operational decisions.

David Yeager, one of the presenters, reported the inventory total: "The total of all that was 1,494 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent." He and colleagues broke emissions into the standard three scopes and identified the top sectors: water utilities, employee commute (scope 3), buildings and facilities, and vehicle fleet. Presenters stressed that a sizable share of the district's emissions from electricity is driven by Liberty Utilities' power mix; changes in the utility's power content label would reduce the district's scope-2 emissions independently of local actions.

The consultant team also presented a voluntary "menu" of potential measures for the board's consideration, including completing LED retrofits, studying EV charging access for staff and the public, continuing zero-emissions fleet conversion in line with California advanced clean fleet rules, and expanding residential water-efficiency programs that have co-benefits for conservation and emissions reduction. Staff emphasized the measures are suggestions to study or implement over time and are not mandatory.

Finally, staff said the draft will be finalized in mid-May to meet grant requirements; options include pursuing emissions verification through a registry to publish emissions publicly or setting a multi-year update schedule (recommended roughly every 5–10 years depending on implementation cadence). The board received the presentation and indicated interest in using the inventory for budgeting and grant-seeking.