Y MO CK U O N R T A I N IN ST IT U TE Acknowledgments The authors acknowledge Michael Northrop and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, whose original idea, generous support, and knowledge of the field made this handbook possible. The authors also thank the following individuals and organizations for offering their insights and perspectives on this work: Marshall Abramczyk, Rocky Mountain Institute Evan Juska, Under2 Coalition and The Climate Group Taryn Akiyama, Under2 Coalition Adam Klauber, Rocky Mountain Institute Tim Ash Vie, Under2 Coalition and The Climate Group Thomas Koch Blank, Rocky Mountain Institute Juliette Baralon, Under2 Coalition and The Climate Group Dave Mullaney, Rocky Mountain Institute Eduardo Batllori Sampedro, Government of Yucatan Paolo Natali, Rocky Mountain Institute Damià Calvet, Government of Catalonia Chris Nelder, Rocky Mountain Institute Iain Campbell, Rocky Mountain Institute Álvaro Pacheco Álvarez , Government of Caquetá Raffaele Cattaneo, Government of Lombardy Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart, Government of North Rhine-Westphalia Ji Chen, Rocky Mountain Institute Luke Pritchard, Governor’s Climate and Forests Task Force Jon Creyts, Rocky Mountain Institute Shane Rattenbury, Government of Australian Capital Territory Dan Cross-Call, Rocky Mountain Institute Greg Rucks, Rocky Mountain Institute Christiana Figueres, Under2 Coalition Shilpi Samantray, Under2 Coalition and The Climate Group Emma Fisher, Under2 Coalition and The Climate Group Craig Schiller, Rocky Mountain Institute André Fortin, Government of Quebec Subaskar Sitsabeshan, Under2 Coalition and The Climate Group Dino De Francesco, R20 Regions of Climate Action Isaac Toussie, Rocky Mountain Institute Miguel Gomez-Escolar, R20 Regions of Climate Action Jeff Waller, Rocky Mountain Institute Bill Grant, Government of Minnesota Richard Ward, Rocky Mountain Institute Lesley Griffiths, Government of Wales Denise Welch, R20 Regions of Climate Action Ned Harvey, Rocky Mountain Institute Carly York, State of California Beth Hotchkiss, State of California Humza Yousaf, Government of Scotland front matter front Welcome to The Carbon-Free Regions Handbook Authors An Action Guide for States, Provinces, and Regional Governments Peter Bronski (Inflection Point Agency), Jacob Corvidae, Laurie Guevara-Stone, Matt Jungclaus, This handbook is organized around 30 recommendations for no-regrets actions that will help James Mandel, and Angela Whitney regions become carbon free. The recommendations are numbered continuously and are divided among seven sections. *Authors listed alphabetically. All authors from Rocky Mountain Institute unless otherwise noted. M OUN KY T C A I N Contacts O R Jacob Corvidae, [email protected] I N E STIT U T Matt Jungclaus, [email protected] About Rocky Mountain Institute Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI)—an independent nonprofit founded in 1982—transforms global Suggested Citation energy use to create a clean, prosperous, and secure low-carbon future. It engages businesses, Corvidae, Jacob, Laurie Guevara-Stone, Matt Jungclaus, James Mandel, Angela Whitney, and Peter communities, institutions, and entrepreneurs to accelerate the adoption of market-based solutions Bronski. The Carbon-Free Regions Handbook: An Action Guide for States, Provinces, and Regional that cost-effectively shift from fossil fuels to efficiency and renewables. RMI has offices in Basalt and Governments. Rocky Mountain Institute, September 2018. rmi.org/carbonfreeregions. Boulder, Colorado; New York City; Washington, D.C.; and Beijing. Editorial and Design Editorial Director: Cindie Baker Editor: David Labrador Creative Director: Romy Purshouse Graphic Designer: Marijke Jongbloed This handbook was produced in partnership with the Under2 Coalition and The Climate Group. Images courtesy of iStock unless otherwise noted. About the Under2 Coalition and The Climate Group The Under2 Coalition is driven by a group of ambitious state and regional governments committed to keeping global temperature rises to under 2°C. The coalition is made up of more than 200 governments that represent over 1.3 billion people and nearly 40% of the global economy. The Climate Group is the Secretariat to the Under2 Coalition and works with governments to accelerate climate action through three work streams: deep decarbonization pathway planning, scaling innovative policy solutions, and mainstreaming transparency and reporting. table of contents pages pages pages 11–18 19–32 33–44 section section section The Big Picture Buildings Mobility Electricity & Next Steps Letters from Leaders .........................................2 Overview ...................................................11 Overview ...................................................19 Overview ...................................................33 About This Handbook ......................................4 1 Net-Zero Codes .........................................12 4 Electric Vehicle Charging .........................20 10 Renewable Portfolio Standard ................34 Understanding Regional Governments...........5 2 Existing Building Upgrades ......................14 5 Fleet Electrification ..................................22 11 Coal Plant Replacement ..........................36 Using This Handbook .......................................6 3 Robust Regional Efficiency ......................16 6 Clean Vehicle Manufacturing ..................24 12 Responsive Rate Design ..........................38 Recommendation Format ................................7 7 Clean Freight Delivery ..............................26 13 Responsive Grid Planning .......................40 Handbook Recommendations at a Glance .....8 8 Public Transit ............................................28 14 Community Solar .....................................42 General Resources ..........................................84 9 Mobility Alternatives ................................30 Version and Evolution ....................................84 The Path Forward ...........................................85 Conclusion ......................................................86 front matter front pages pages pages pages 45–56 57–66 67–74 75–82 section section section section Industry Land Use Waste Finance Overview ...................................................45 Overview ...................................................57 Overview ...................................................67 Overview ...................................................75 15 Methane Containment ............................46 20 Sustainable Land Management ..............58 24 Organic Waste Diversion ..........................68 27 Capital Availability ...................................76 16 Clean Industrial Processes ......................48 21 Open Space Conservation ......................60 25 Open Burn Ban ........................................70 28 First-Cost Solutions ..................................78 17 Shared Industrial Flows ..........................50 22 Agricultural Methane Capture .................62 26 Waste Energy Capture .............................72 29 Market Incentives .....................................80 18 Clean Ports and Airports ..........................52 23 Regenerative Agriculture .........................64 30 Reduced Procurement Costs ...................82 19 Clean Industrial Vehicles..........................54 the big picture Letters from Leaders Welcome to The Carbon-Free Regions Handbook: An Action Guide for States, Provinces, Every one of our communities is seeing and experiencing the impacts of climate and Regional Governments. We live in unprecedented times. The need for regional-scale change. But at this most crucial time for action, the US government has abdicated its governments—states, provinces, counties, multistate coalitions, etc.—to act ambitiously commitment to doing its part to combat this existential threat. toward similar goals has never been this universal. We have also never before seen the momentum that is now arising from these same governments. The time is now, and we But national governments are not the only ones with the responsibility—and power— offer this book to accelerate those efforts. to step up in this fight. When the White House announced the intention to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement, I stood up as governor of the State of Washington The work we pursue today must be focused on impact. Commitments? Yes. Planning? alongside the governors of California and New York to create the bipartisan US Yes. But commitments and plans won’t solve the problem. We must take action now. Climate Alliance. We’re now 17 states strong, and collectively, our states represent “Action now” has to be our mantra. Actions vault us from a hope for tomorrow to making the third-largest economy in the world. We will do what the nation should do: reduce that vision reality. Our time and resources are always limited, so let’s put them to use greenhouse gas emissions consistent with the goals of the Paris Agreement and grow where they will drive the greatest changes. As my colleagues at RMI say, if you have to a clean energy economy consistent with our spirit of innovation. I’m here to tell you choose between making plans or making progress, then make progress. that our citizens, our businesses, our cities, and our states and our regions can and will uphold America‘s commitment to meaningful climate action. This handbook’s recommendations support that progress. They are proven. They are relevant to most state and provincial governments. They