From miles traveled to kilowatts of electricity used, Howard officials want comprehensive numbers on how much greenhouse gas the entire county emits.
Gathering the numbers on commercial, residential and government energy use is the first step to developing a plan to reduce global warming emissions, officials said.
“We?re doing a communitywide analysis,” said Josh Feldmark, Howard?s environmental director, adding the broad scope is “daunting but crucial.”
The inventory will measure emissions from electricity and natural gas, transportation, agriculture, solid waste and wastewater treatment.
A climate action plan then will detail the steps government, businesses and residents can take to reduce the county?s carbon footprint, and ways to measure the county?s progress.
Howardofficials are hiring a consultant to help develop a climate action plan, starting with a survey of the county government?s emissions. They will then work with companies such as Constellation Energy to get numbers on residential and commercial energy use.
The fiscal 2008 budget included $100,000 for this consultant.
County Executive Ken Ulman announced the initiative Monday at an event where he also signed a law creating an Office of Environmental Sustainability.
The office, staffed initially with only Feldmark, will be a “strong coordinating presence,” for departments across county government, Ulman said.
In February 2006, Howard became the second county in the nation to sign the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, pledging to reduce greenhouse gases to 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2012.
Ned Tillman, head of the newly created Environmental and Sustainability advisory board, called the climate action plan “a good first step.”
Twenty-four states have comprehensive climate action plans, and another dozen states are developing or revising plans, according to Pew Center on Global Climate Change. Several counties and cities nationwide also have embarked on climate plans.
Last April, Gov. Martin O?Malley created a commission on climate change to develop a plan for Maryland.
