South Lake Tahoe City Council candidates respond to climate questions

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - As the City of South Lake Tahoe gets closer to its goal of achieving 100 percent renewable electricity by 2030, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, incoming council members need to understand sustainability and climate action.

Some of the City's climate goals include reducing community greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80 percent by 2040, at least 50 percent by 2030, and achieving carbon neutrality by 2045.

The Tahoe Climate Change Action Network (TCCAN) asked the City Council candidates to answer questions that they rated and have shared on their website. The average ratings for the six questions asked are in the photo above.

Five candidates responded. Here is one question TCCAN asked:

With utility rates rising, how would you enhance energy efficiency to lower costs for both the community and City facilities? How do you plan to build resilience against future energy price increases?

Aimi Xistra - The 2015 GHG emissions data in the CAP shows the largest producers of emissions are building energy and transportation. Tahoe’s infrastructure (residential and commercial properties), including City facilities, are outdated. Most of the buildings were constructed in the 1970s, with outdated building codes that are not environmentally friendly. I think a housing and/or commercial rehabilitation program to upgrade windows, lights, roofs, and insulation would have a massive impact. There are a few financial programs that benefit low-income people with these upgrades, but I would target a program in the City for low and middle-income populations with homes or apartments through targeted outreach and education so more people are saving money on utilities while increasing energy efficiency.

Nick Speal - Efficiency comes in two ways: 1) cleaner energy sources and 2) reducing energy waste, and we must pursue both. The good news is that cleaner energy sources like solar are now cheaper than fossil fuels, and the technology is only getting better. As we invest in public infrastructure like a new fire station, we’ll build in electric heat pumps to take advantage of these savings. Another major inefficiency is heat slipping through the cracks of the old buildings built decades ago. Measure N funds can be used to offer rebates to low-income homeowners and tenants for home insulation retrofits that reduce waste and lower utility costs.

Heather Cade-Bauer - To address rising utility rates, we need to prioritize energy efficiency upgrades for both City facilities and residential buildings. This could involve retrofitting older structures with energy-efficient technologies and promoting the installation of solar panels. Furthermore, building local renewable energy capacity through solar projects will help reduce reliance on external sources, thus providing price stability. Supporting community energy storage solutions, like battery systems, can also help to balance supply and demand, especially during peak times, reducing costs and improving grid resilience.

Keith Roberts - Continue to review the possibility of The City taking over Liberty Utilities, like they did with STPUD.

David Jinkens - He didn't answer specific questions but his statement can be found HERE.
He provided specific actions he has taken regarding serious and pressing environmental issues facing the City and region.

TCCAN is a grassroots volunteer organization dedicated to advocating for sustainability and climate action in the South Lake Tahoe community. Molly Armanino is their CEO.