The City of Albany held a Climate Action Committee (CAC) meeting on January 21. The meeting commenced with a Lisjan land acknowledgment and transitioned to public comment.

The first comment was delivered by Nick Peterson, who is with the Albany Climate Action Coalition (CAC). He expressed concern about the CAC, as he wants the committee to start coming up with specific policies that will reduce carbon emissions from the city at a faster rate. Peterson believes that not enough is being done, and the committee needs to be more proactive about the current situation. The next public comment was by Lucinda Young, who is also with the Albany Climate Action Coalition. She said that she would like more details about priority decarbonization zones in Albany, from their November decision. This includes when the zones become permanent, what the time frame looks like, and what the significance of Albany being selected for these two decarbonization zones is, as she wants to get more zones identified.

To help answer Peterson’s comment, Chair Vigil-McClanahan produced an update from the Climate Action Adaptation (CAAP) subcommittee about their goals: Addressing the question of if Albany should move their net-zero emissions goal that is currently set to 2045, to an earlier date. In February 2024, the CAC drafted a Climate Emergency Declaration, which was adopted in May 2025, by the City Council. By September 2025, a subcommittee was formed to research if advancing the net-zero date would be an effective way to improve climate action in Albany. Globally, the best position we will be in to become net-zero is between 2050-2070. However, Albany has more wealth and resources per capita on the global scale, and creates more emissions per capita than most parts of the world. For this reason, Albany needs to be ahead of that goal of 2050, as emissions mitigation must exceed the global average. This includes changes to transportation, the energy grid, and more.

Taking these comments into account, the members then turned and discussed among themselves. They acknowledged that there are many competing priorities, and noted that funding is a key thing to research. They also decided there was a need for a subcommittee that is dedicated to implementing the Climate Action Plan. This proposal, that would promote communication and coordination between residents and what the city wants them to achieve, was passed unanimously.

Further into the meeting, the group reviewed subcommittees to make sure they have a specific, actionable goal where everyone knows what they are working on. The three current subcommittees are zero-emission transportation, heat pump rebate, and CAAP goals. Nick Peterson commented that he worries the subcommittees are too broad to the point where it is overwhelming for them, and pushed for more specific ones. From this input, the members passed a motion to sunset the heat pump rebate subcommittee, as they were able to accomplish their goal of determining heat pump and water heater rebates. The members then motioned to sunset the climate action adaptation plan goals committee due to the scope and structure of the committee, which also passed with full support across the board. There was then a move to create a resilience hub subcommittee, which would support staff in determining how to create resilience hubs. This will include battery storage, solar energy, where you would put it, which buildings to pick, and how to support emergency services.

A couple of speculative plans for the CAC were brought up in the meeting. This included adding electric chargers on Masonic Avenue to partner with AVA, in an effort to encourage increased electric vehicle adoption in Albany. Another interesting prospect given by Tom Rust was what it would look like if the community center was covered with solar panels. He found that it would generate 195 megawatt-hours per year. If the community center, library, and covered parking lot were electrified with solar panels, the city would have an additional 100 megawatt-hours per year to sell. This means that if each megawatt-hour is sold at $50, it would generate $5,000 per year.

Nearing the end of the meeting, the members elected a new Chair and Vice Chair. The Chair and Vice Chair are responsible for joining an agenda setting meeting each month, talking through future agenda items, and speaking for the committee with what they would likely prioritize. Additionally, the Chair runs the meetings and directs discussion, while the Vice Chair is there to substitute for the Chair if the occasion arises. Member Troy Hodges became the new Chair, and member Kathrine Bierce became the new Vice Chair by a unanimous vote.

To close off the meeting, the members discussed possible future agenda items. These included research into insulation for houses in Albany, EV charging, point cell ordinances, and reaching out to AVA, a sustainable electric company.

–Sophia Lara