What will Eagle County’s greenhouse gas reduction goal for 2050 look like?

Eagle County is close to meeting its immediate climate action goals, but the longer-term goal is a bigger question.

Tori Franks, the county’s resiliency director, talked with the Eagle County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday about those longer-term goals. Franks is recommending bringing in a third party to provide a road map on the county’s goal of reducing the county’s greenhouse emissions over the next 25 years or so.

Franks told the commissioners that the county has done a good job of hitting its 2025 goal of reducing its emissions by 25% from a 2014 baseline and 50% by 2030. But, she added, that’s largely due to Holy Cross Energy’s success in reducing emissions. That electric cooperative expects to have 90% of its electricity from renewable sources this year.

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The bigger challenge will be the county’s goal of cutting its emissions by 80% from the 2014 baseline by 2050.

Franks said she expects the third-party plan to discuss both projects and policies, as well as estimated costs.

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The plan will help county officials plan facilities both now and in the future.

Franks noted that the plan would include all county facilities, including the landfill and the Eagle County Regional Airport. That wouldn’t include airlines or the fuel used by aircraft.

While the state has set a goal of a 100% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, Commissioner Tom Boyd said he would “need to see credible science” about heavy equipment to back off the county’s 80% goal. That kind of equipment currently requires the kind of energy density that only chemical fuels can provide, he said.

On the other hand, Commissioner Matt Scherr said the 100% reduction is “what the science says we have to do … you figure out what you have to do and that’s what you do,” he said, adding that hopefully in five or 10 years “someone figures it out.”

Boyd replied that in terms of seeking a proposal for a roadmap for the county, he’d like to know what a 100% reduction might look like.

Referring again to the energy density of fossil fuels, Boyd said “I do think there are solutions, but I haven’t seen any yet.”

The request for proposals should be put out by the spring of this year, with a contractor selected shortly thereafter.

Commissioner Jeanne McQueeney said she’s looking forward to the process.

“I feel it’s important work and we need to get on it,” she said.