Voters first passed the Climate Action Plan (CAP) tax in 2006 and then approved an extension in 2012. Passage of this ballot issue would extend the CAP tax at the current rate for 5 more years through March 31, 2023. Xcel collects the tax for the city via utility bills. If a municipal electric utility begins operation before the 2023 expiration date, it could continue to collect the tax or fund CAP programs another way such as through its normal utility rates.
See the 2012 entry for 2A, the previous CAP tax extension, for early history on the Climate Action Plan. CAP’s goal is to reduce local greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
GHG inventories were published in 2006, 2010 and the latest in 2015 but calculated for the 2012 calendar year. The city’s plan is to have updates every 3 years so the next GHG inventory would be for calendar year 2015.
The most recent GHG inventory uses the 2012 U. S. Community Protocol, the first national standard for reporting GHG, so not all the data can be compared directly to previous inventories. For instance, Boulder residents’ air travel is now included. In addition, Boulder no longer has access to Xcel’s detailed franchise report.
In July of 2013 City Council asked the city to establish a goal of an 80% reduction of GHG emissions from 2005 levels by the year 2050. To reach this goal, the city needs to reduce its annual metric tons of emissions from 1,952,500 in 2012 (or 19 mt/person/year) to 392,500 mt (or 3 mt/person/year). GHG emissions saw basically no change from 2005 to 2012.
The city states that CAP-funded programs have avoided 50,000 mt of GHG emissions. CAP or other programs like a municipal electric utility have to make quite a lot more progress if Boulder is to achieve its ambitious new goal. You can read about the plan to meet the new goal at the city’s website. See the link below the ballot language.
New programs since the 2012 tax extension ballot issue include
Boulder Energy Challenge:
grants to support clean-energy, start-up products and services,
Community Power Partnerships:
education about electricity use at the building and circuit levels,
Boulder Solar Tool:
education about rooftop solar potential,
Disposable Bag Fee:
10-cent fee for disposable bags at grocery stores, and
Universal Zero Waste Ordinance:
recycling and compost requirements.
Although the Transportation Master Plan is listed as a Climate Action Focus Area, the controversial Living Lab, e.g., Folsom Street “right-sizing,” doesn’t appear to be funded by CAP dollars.
The county is interested in putting a sustainability tax on the ballot next year. Having the CAP tax on the ballot this year avoids a city-county competition for tax dollars for similar efforts.
Recommendation: for
There are always competing priorities for tax dollars. If Boulder voters want to continue taxing themselves in an effort to reach the city’s so-far-unreachable climate goals, more “power” to them. Mandates and maybe a municipal electric utility are probably necessary to reach the goals. Whether the latter is attainable is for the future to determine.
In 2012 the Chamber of Commerce expressed opposition to possible mandates on businesses but supported the CAP tax extension. This time around, expected adoption later this month of a Boulder Building Performance Ordinance with energy efficiency requirements for businesses has the Chamber taking a neutral stand on the tax extension.
Boulder Mayor Matt Appelbaum was no doubt a direct recipient of the CAP goals and actions, as evidenced by his invitation to Vatican City in July to discuss cities’ commitments to combat climate change just one month after the release of the Pope’s encyclical identifying global warming as a social justice issue.
Website for the Yes side (Renew the Climate Action Plan Committee)
http://www.yeson2pand2o.com/
Website for the No side
No known website – Info on an opposition website appreciated.
Approved Ballot Language
City of Boulder Ballot Question 2P
Climate Action Plan Tax Extension
Without raising additional taxes, shall the existing climate action plan excise tax be extended for five years for the purpose of continuing to provide incentives, services, and other assistance to Boulder residents and businesses to improve energy efficiency, expand the use of renewable energy, and take other necessary steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, at the current rate of $0.0049 per kilowatt hour (kwh) for residential customers, $0.0009 per kwh for commercial customers, and $0.0003 per kwh for industrial customers on electricity consumed, from its current expiration of March 31, 2018, through March 31, 2023 as a voter-approved revenue change?
For the Measure ____
Against the Measure ____
Ordinance 8057 to refer 2P to the voters
https://documents.bouldercolorado.gov/weblink8/0/doc/130118/Page1.aspx
Boulder’s Climate Action Home Page
https://bouldercolorado.gov/climate/climate
From the right-hand menu you can reach 2 other pages of particular interest: “Climate Commitment” and “Boulder’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory”
See the 2012 entry for 2A, the previous CAP tax extension, for early history on the Climate Action Plan. CAP’s goal is to reduce local greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
GHG inventories were published in 2006, 2010 and the latest in 2015 but calculated for the 2012 calendar year. The city’s plan is to have updates every 3 years so the next GHG inventory would be for calendar year 2015.
The most recent GHG inventory uses the 2012 U. S. Community Protocol, the first national standard for reporting GHG, so not all the data can be compared directly to previous inventories. For instance, Boulder residents’ air travel is now included. In addition, Boulder no longer has access to Xcel’s detailed franchise report.
In July of 2013 City Council asked the city to establish a goal of an 80% reduction of GHG emissions from 2005 levels by the year 2050. To reach this goal, the city needs to reduce its annual metric tons of emissions from 1,952,500 in 2012 (or 19 mt/person/year) to 392,500 mt (or 3 mt/person/year). GHG emissions saw basically no change from 2005 to 2012.
The city states that CAP-funded programs have avoided 50,000 mt of GHG emissions. CAP or other programs like a municipal electric utility have to make quite a lot more progress if Boulder is to achieve its ambitious new goal. You can read about the plan to meet the new goal at the city’s website. See the link below the ballot language.
New programs since the 2012 tax extension ballot issue include
Boulder Energy Challenge:
grants to support clean-energy, start-up products and services,
Community Power Partnerships:
education about electricity use at the building and circuit levels,
Boulder Solar Tool:
education about rooftop solar potential,
Disposable Bag Fee:
10-cent fee for disposable bags at grocery stores, and
Universal Zero Waste Ordinance:
recycling and compost requirements.
Although the Transportation Master Plan is listed as a Climate Action Focus Area, the controversial Living Lab, e.g., Folsom Street “right-sizing,” doesn’t appear to be funded by CAP dollars.
The county is interested in putting a sustainability tax on the ballot next year. Having the CAP tax on the ballot this year avoids a city-county competition for tax dollars for similar efforts.
Recommendation: for
There are always competing priorities for tax dollars. If Boulder voters want to continue taxing themselves in an effort to reach the city’s so-far-unreachable climate goals, more “power” to them. Mandates and maybe a municipal electric utility are probably necessary to reach the goals. Whether the latter is attainable is for the future to determine.
In 2012 the Chamber of Commerce expressed opposition to possible mandates on businesses but supported the CAP tax extension. This time around, expected adoption later this month of a Boulder Building Performance Ordinance with energy efficiency requirements for businesses has the Chamber taking a neutral stand on the tax extension.
Boulder Mayor Matt Appelbaum was no doubt a direct recipient of the CAP goals and actions, as evidenced by his invitation to Vatican City in July to discuss cities’ commitments to combat climate change just one month after the release of the Pope’s encyclical identifying global warming as a social justice issue.
Website for the Yes side (Renew the Climate Action Plan Committee)
http://www.yeson2pand2o.com/
Website for the No side
No known website – Info on an opposition website appreciated.
Approved Ballot Language
City of Boulder Ballot Question 2P
Climate Action Plan Tax Extension
Without raising additional taxes, shall the existing climate action plan excise tax be extended for five years for the purpose of continuing to provide incentives, services, and other assistance to Boulder residents and businesses to improve energy efficiency, expand the use of renewable energy, and take other necessary steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, at the current rate of $0.0049 per kilowatt hour (kwh) for residential customers, $0.0009 per kwh for commercial customers, and $0.0003 per kwh for industrial customers on electricity consumed, from its current expiration of March 31, 2018, through March 31, 2023 as a voter-approved revenue change?
For the Measure ____
Against the Measure ____
Ordinance 8057 to refer 2P to the voters
https://documents.bouldercolorado.gov/weblink8/0/doc/130118/Page1.aspx
Boulder’s Climate Action Home Page
https://bouldercolorado.gov/climate/climate
From the right-hand menu you can reach 2 other pages of particular interest: “Climate Commitment” and “Boulder’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory”
