12:22 → 12:39(16s)
City of Bend staff and city council convened a joint discussion with the Environment and Climate Committee (ECC), the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee (AHEC), and the Bend Economic Development Advisory Board (BDAB) to review ECCs electrification recommendations and a staff-proposed phased work plan. Staff outlined five policy option buckets (state advocacy, education/support, incentives, local regulations, fees, building code), the ECC summarized a build smart from the start priority on new construction, and the city attorney described an unsettled legal landscape following federal preemption litigation (Berkeley case) and a pending Bay Area NOx lawsuit. Staff proposed immediate investment in outreach and an energy navigator, a stakeholder work group to explore incentives/disincentives later this year, and a monitoring/check-in approach for regulatory options; council will receive a quarterly update in April.
