Napa County and its five cities are closing in on a final vote for a sweeping regional climate plan that would push wineries toward mandatory sustainability certification, phase out gas water heaters and furnaces, and steer tourists out of rental cars, all in pursuit of carbon neutrality by 2045. The Napa County Board of Supervisors is set to consider adoption of the plan on November 3, with American Canyon, Calistoga, St. Helena, the City of Napa, and the Town of Yountville each expected to take up their own versions afterward.
Public comments helped shape the proposed final version of the document, according to The Napa Valley Register, which reports that Napa County and its five cities have now received the proposed final version of the Regional Climate Action and Adaptation Plan. The plan is priced at $1.1 billion and aims for carbon neutrality by 2045, aligning with California’s statewide mandate under Assembly Bill 1279, which requires economy-wide carbon neutrality by that year and at least an 85% cut in emissions below 1990 levels, according to LegiScan. Napa County has also released a companion California Environmental Quality Act Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration, with public comment on that environmental document closing August 31.
Where the Emissions Actually Come From
The plan’s roadmap traces back to a 2019 baseline inventory showing the region produced 1.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent that year, with on-road transportation responsible for 39%, building energy for 23%, solid waste for 16%, off-road equipment for 9%, and agriculture for 8%, per DPF Law. That baseline year was chosen specifically to avoid skewing the numbers with pandemic-era commuting anomalies. Technical modeling behind the plan’s 46 measures across seven sectors found that two waste strategies alone, expanding landfill methane capture and boosting solid waste diversion, could deliver up to 51% of the region’s total emissions reductions by 2030.
The Register reports the plan calls for increasing garbage diversion from landfills from 51% in 2019 to 75% by 2030 and 85% by 2045. Recommended strategies also include reducing winery waste-hauling emissions, restoring woodlands and forests that sequester carbon, and expanding urban-forest tree canopy in local cities by 20% by 2035. The revised plan describes a phased approach that prioritizes financial incentives and education in its early stages, with streamlined permitting and additional support mechanisms arriving later.
Cars, Parking, and Getting Tourists Off the Road
A travel demand management program at the center of the plan would improve mass transit and carpooling options, increase bicycle parking, and work to reduce vehicle miles traveled by tourists, the Register reports. Napa County and its cities plan to partner with the Napa Valley Transportation Authority, Visit Napa Valley, and area businesses on that effort. The plan also envisions long-term parking strategies including permit parking, time limits, and metered parking, arguing that limiting parking supply can push people toward transit and other travel modes…