A decision on what direction to take on regional tailpipe emission reductions was pushed back to April 2013, Metro staff said Tuesday at a Metro Council work session.
Staffers with the Climate Smart Communities program told councilors the new time frame will allow for more feedback from the region’s cities as Metro gets set to pick which greenhouse gas reduction efforts should be studied in detail. That study will continue until 2014.
Patty Unfred, an engagement manager for the Climate Smart program, told councilors that some communities were concerned that Metro would go with a blanket approach that doesn’t recognize cities’ individualities.
“A lot of people are concerned about the cost along with the one size fits all attitude they think we may push,” Unfred said.
The Climate Smart Communities program is a state mandated effort to meet Oregon’s targets for reducing greenhouse gas 20 percent by 2035. Along with discussing the new timeline, staffers laid out the hurdles that await before council members make their choice.
As part of their outreach effort, Unfred said, Metro will hold community workshops in the coming months.
And be prepared for change. The November elections will bring a new slate of leaders – including three Metro councilors – meaning Metro staff needs to keep everyone up to date as the project continues. As for the current council, a few members were uncertain about the future funding sources of the final project.
Metro Councilor Shirley Craddick shared doubts about the technology and infrastructure funding needed to reach the state’s mandate, noting the difficulty in getting the federal government to assist in the regional effort.
Kim Ellis, the Climate Smart Communities program coordinator, said financial specifics will be fine-tuned later on.
“Right now, we need to figure out what scenario we want to shoot for,” Ellis said. “We’ll tackle that later down the line.”
For now, staffers want the councilors to talk to communities about how they want to meet the state mandate.
“The bottom line is that we need to take time to connect with our communities to create a shared future,” Unfred said.
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Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly detailed outreach efforts as part of the project. The plan will involve community workshops in the coming months. This version has been corrected.