Meeting Time: November 18, 2024 at 1:30pm HST
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Agenda Item

ESCS-8 Bill 136 (2024) BILL 136 (2024), AMENDING TITLE 20, MAUI COUNTY CODE, ESTABLISHING A CLIMATE ACTION AND RESILIENCY PLAN FOR THE COUNTY OF MAUI (ESCS-8)

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    ESCS Committee at November 18, 2024 at 4:24pm HST

    Testimonies received from ESCS committee

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    Guest User at November 18, 2024 at 7:25am HST

    Aloha Council Members and Community,

    Introduction
    My name is Darla Palmer-Ellingson, and I am writing in favor of Bill 136 regarding Maui County’s Climate Action and Resiliency Plan, also known as CARP. Appreciation goes to CM. Rawlins-Fernandez for bringing this to the County of Maui Council's Efficiency Solutions and Circular Systems Committee.
    Serving as the communication coordinator for the planning process, under contractor Sustainable Pacific, I attended, facilitated or supported the majority of meetings and planning efforts of CARP and am sharing my insight. Today you have an opportunity to support a plan that benefits both development and business interests, as well as environmental and cultural interests.
    I am reaching out to ask for your support to get this plan adopted and reestablish a Climate Change, Resiliency and Sustainability office.

    Summary
    CARP is a well though-out, researched plan with valuable data, driven by industry and community input. It is coordinated with State and local plans and UN Sustainable Development goals. It provides a detailed roadmap for future decision making, but the adoption does not obligate the County financially. Timing is critical, as there is federal and other funding sources available specifically for priorities identified in CARP.

    Background
    In January, 2023, the County’s Office of Climate Change, Resiliency and Sustainability was eliminated by a new administration. The County Council did not retain its Climate Action, Resiliency and Environment committee. Other than requesting updates on the unapproved draft CARP by Council, nothing has been done on plan priorities in the past 2 years. The extensive website built and published to communicate and gain input about CARP data, plans and activities, including ESRI mapping capabilities, was removed from the internet.

    Over two years of diligent work, at a significant budget, went into the CARP draft, with professional contractors involved, a steering committee of diverse stakeholders, outreach and community meetings and more. The plan is not perfect. But what the plan does have is over 65 pages of action items, identified by category, and carefully evaluated to identify key partners, priority for action, equity impacts, GHG reduction potential, expected level of difficulty to implement, and time frame for implementation.

    Between pages 47 and 176 of CARP you will see Mitigation Strategies and Actions, including
    • Municipal
    • Building Energy
    • Transportation
    • Waste
    • Agriculture, Land Use & Natural Resources
    • Outreach and Education
    Between page 177 and 242 are Resiliency Strategies and Actions, including:
    • Secure our people
    • Infrastructure
    • Natural systems
    • Funding and implementation

    Each one has an estimated cost of implementation ranking. More precise budgets for the actions within the CARP will need to be developed as each action moves closer to implementation. Think about how much our economy has shifted over the past two years- to have researched and assigned estimated dollar figures at the time would have already been inaccurate. To have gone into more detail on each item would have made an extremely long document, but with this priority roadmap, those plans and budgets can be built. Many state and local plans start this way, and grow with continued input.

    Moving forward
    One of the most important reasons for adopting the plan now is access to Federal grants and other funding. The last four years have been rich with climate sustainability and resiliency funding through foundations and under the federal Build Back Better program, including the grants enabled by the Inflation Reduction Act, and other programs. Now more than ever, we need to secure available funds for our greatest sustainability and resiliency needs. The first step is to put the CARP plan in place so the County can point to an approved plan when applying for funds. It is also hoped that an Office of Climate Change, Resiliency and Sustainability would be reestablished under the County's Department of Management. This structure would be enduring, and not vulnerable to changes in administration. When another disaster occurs, this office would serve as a collaborative and important partner for our community's future safety and wellbeing.

    We can significantly support and reinforce a circular economy by fostering systems that reduce waste, maximize resource efficiency, and promote economic growth through sustainable practices. Economically, having this plan in place opens doors for new green industry and job opportunities, incentivizing innovation and attracting investments in research and development. Developing funding for sustainable infrastructure will reduce long-term operating costs, enhance energy security, and create jobs in construction and maintenance. Tapping into external funding reduces the financial burden on our local government and fosters collaboration with innovative companies.

    The World Economic Forum predicts that "Green Collar" jobs are the next positive labor market revolution. Enhancing and transitioning blue-collar roles, with funding for training and education, is particularly attractive for Maui, as it directly supports jobs such as construction and maintenance. We have long struggled with diversifying our economy. This is a pathway to obtain support for green industries, including in the energy sector, and also foster remote work.

    Approving the CARP does not obligate the Council financially. It just opens the door to move forward. Please vote to advance acceptance of Maui’s Climate Action and Resiliency Plan today. We cannot afford to let the valuable work of this plan sit on the shelf for another two years.

    Best regards,
    Darla Palmer-Ellingson
    360 Green Living
    LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/darlapalmerellingson/