Kootenay municipalities complete emissions inventories in effort to cut energy costs
By Nelson Daily Staff
In an effort to cut energy costs and take action on climate change, 33 local governments in the Columbia Basin — including three regional districts and two First Nations — have taken another step.
As part of their climate change commitments, each local government has recently completed a 2010 inventory of their energy use and emissions.
The cities of Nelson, Castlegar and Trail, as well as the Regional District of Central Kootenay, completed emissions inventories.
“These inventories provide essential information for local governments that want to cut energy costs and take action on climate change by reducing how much energy they use,” said Kindy Gosal, director, Water and Environment, Columbia Basin Trust (CBT).
These local governments signed BC’s voluntary Climate Action Charter and have committed to becoming carbon neutral in their operations by 2012.
A multi-year effort known as the Carbon Neutral Kootenays (CNK) project is supporting local governments and First Nations that are working towards becoming carbon neutral. CNK is funded jointly by CBT and the Regional Districts of Central Kootenay, East Kootenay and Kootenay Boundary.
“The inventories will help determine where energy use, costs and emissions can be cut and that means we will be meeting our climate change commitment,” said John MacLean, Regional District of Kootenay Boundary, chief administrative officer.
The inventories look at how much energy-electricity, propane, heating oil, natural gas, etc.-is used in local government operations including fire halls, town halls, community halls, arenas, libraries and streetlights, as well as sewage and water treatment operations. The inventories also look at fuels used in public works vehicles and fleets.
Based on these new 2010 inventories, pools, arenas and fleet vehicles, as well as water and wastewater operations, may be the biggest users of energy and provide the best opportunity for local governments to cut energy use, costs and emissions.
The Carbon Neutral Kootenays Project is one of several climate change initiatives supported by Columbia Basin Trust. For more information about Columbia Basin Trust and its climate change initiatives, visit www.cbt.org.
- Additional information about the Carbon Neutral Kootenays project is available at http://www.cbt.org/Initiatives/Climate_Change/?Reducing_Emissions
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