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Climate Solutions Roundtable

Cassie Cordova, Environmental Sustainability Coordinator

Department of General Services

September 15^th, 2021

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Solar Arrays

Private Farms w/ Dominion VA Power

Rochambeau solar farm
Norge solar farm

Jolly Pond capped landfill

RFI for solar farm
Next Step 🡪 RFP

Residential solar

SolSmart Bronze 🡪 Silver
118 permit applications

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EV Usage

Fleet vehicles

8 of 18 (40%) electric utility carts
5 of 36 (14%) propane grounds mowers
12 trucks operating on propane
7 hybrid vehicles

New EV charging station with Dominion
Jouley™ electric bus at WJCC Schools

Fleet Vehicles:

Four years ago all our utility carts were gas. 8 of 18 (40%) are now electric.

5 of 36 (14%) of our Grounds mowers are propane.

We have 12 trucks operating on propane.

We have 7 hybrid vehicles in the fleet.

We are looking to increase the numbers of hybrids with our Fy23/24 budget. Particularly in public safety.

We continue to look for opportunities to introduce all electric vehicles in the fleet.

New EV:

JCC has budgeted 1 EV charging station for Public Use to be installed at the Rec Center

Buses at WJCC

The Saf-T-Liner^® C2 Jouley by Thomas Built Buses is emissions-free, noise pollution-free and fossil fuel-free. WJCC has 4 buses and 2 charging stations with 4 dispensers (charge 2 to 80%, then bounce back and forth until all 100%). They are having difficulties with the chargers and working with Dominion. Averaging about 115-150 miles a day on them & they do have to charge during the day to make the distance. They love the buses, not confident in the chargers. Once they get the bugs out with the chargers they will be able to make a more confident decision, but likely to pursue more.

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Energy Efficiency

2007 Adopted the U.S. Cool Counties Climate Stabilization Declaration
2007 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory Baseline Report
2009 Comprehensive Plan with 8 areas for Vision of Sustainability
2010 Sustainable Building Policy: minimum of LEED Silver

Silver - Fire Station #4 & Building D
Gold - Fire Station #1, LEC & Fire Admin

2012 Energy Conservation & Building Management Policy
2013 Historic Triangle Community Energy Reduction Plan
2014 Sustainability Plan
2021 Retrofitting residential streetlights to LED

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Stormwater & Resiliency

Projects:

Green Stormwater Management (5)
Natural Shoreline Management (3)
Stream Restoration (16)
Wetland Restoration (1)

National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS)

Class 7 🡪 Class 5
1^st Community in VA
Homeowners qualify for 25% discount on flood insurance

Green Stormwater Management

Manage flooding with infiltration-based practices, floodplain management, and open space preservation to complement other measures to lower flood risk.

Prepare for drought by infiltrating water where it falls. Green infrastructure can help replenish groundwater reserves, relieving stress on local water supplies and reducing the need to import potable water.

Reduce urban heat island effect by planting trees and building green roofs.

Lower building energy demands by reducing indoor temperatures and shading building surfaces.

Spend less energy managing water by reducing rainwater flows into sewer systems. Green infrastructure can reduce pumping and treatment demands for municipalities.

Protect coastal areas with living shorelines, buffers, wetlands, and dunes to help reduce coastal erosion and storm impacts.

PIC: Chickahominy Park Living Shoreline Stabilization; James River Elementary School Bioretention and Stream Restoration

With great effort from multiple County Departments, James City County homeowners with flood insurance policies are eligible for a larger discount in their rates as the result of floodplain management activities implemented by the County. James City County has gone from a Class 7 to a Class 5 in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS). The County is the first community in Virginia to receive a Class 5 rating. The new rating helps homeowners qualify for a 25 percent discount on flood insurance premiums for NFIP policies issued or renewed in Special Flood Hazard Areas.

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ARPA PLANS & WISHLIST

County projects

Renewable energy & energy storage for resilience

Submit

Review

Results?

American Rescue Plan Act of 2021:

There have been numerous project submitted, they are being reviewed by County Administration, we do not have the results of moving forward.

The Treasury Interim final rule makes clear that infrastructure projects that are Energy resilience projects with a connection to economic resilience and public health disparities can qualify for ARP funding. Energy resilience can affect public health when residents, businesses, or core municipal services lose access to heating or cooling systems in extreme heat or cold; renewable energy and energy storage through batteries or thermal storage, for resilience

Anaerobic biogas digester turns food, animal and agricultural “waste” into energy! Microbes break down organic materials into methane (CH₄), carbon dioxide (CO₂) and digestate, which can be used as fertilizer.

Puxin (10,000L): 10, 5 gallon buckets (~50 Gallons) per day

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Thank You �Any Questions?

Cassie Cordova, Environmental Sustainability Coordinator

Cassie.cordova@jamescitycountyva.gov

757-259-5408