Public Citizen Comments on Dallas Comprehensive Environmental and Climate Action Plan

Public Citizen encourages the City of Dallas to take more aggressive action to meet its goals

By Adrian Shelley

Read Public Citizen’s comments here.

Today Public Citizen filed comments on the City of Dallas’ draft Comprehensive Environmental and Climate Action Plan (CECAP). Public Citizen offered six general comments on the plan:

1. More quantifiable actions. Dallas must identify more actions with quantifiable emissions reductions to achieve its stated goals of 43% GHG reductions by 2030 and net zero by 2050. This is too important to come up short.
2. Articulate the need for financial commitments. The city must invest money to achieve the emissions reductions goals of the plan. These investments will yield positive returns for residents and businesses in the form of reduced energy, transportation and health care costs.
3. Renewable energy investment. Increase direct investment in renewable energy. The Dallas Green Energy Policy should not rely on renewable energy credits to achieve net-zero emissions from the electricity generation sector.
4. Electric vehicle purchases. Expand and accelerate electric vehicle purchases. Dallas should not wait until 2030 to begin purchasing electric vehicles. All vehicles, not just light-duty vehicles, should be electric.
5. Public Oversight. An oversight committee with diverse representation from the Dallas community should be created to track the implementation of the plan and identify new measures to add to the plan over time to meet emissions reduction goals.
6. Periodic Update of the CECAP. The plan should clearly state that the CECAP will be updated in three years, after the city of Dallas completes its updated emission inventory. Frequently scheduled updates are essential to ensure that progress is being made and to identify where new opportunities to reduce emissions have emerged.

Dallas is taking comment on the plan through March 3. You can read the full text of our comments here: Public Citizen Dallas CECAP comments.