As local governments move to adopt a countywide sustainable energy plan, the City of Cascade Locks has parted ways with the pack.
Boards representing the city, county and port of Hood River have given procedural thumbs up to the plan, as did the Port of Cascade Locks.
Cascade Locks City Council, however, chose a different path. Members on March 26 voted 5-2 not to pass the “Hood River County Energy Plan.”
Gordon Zimmerman, city administrator, said council members weren’t comfortable with requirements tied to the undertaking.
“The Council was concerned that the suggestions contained in the energy plan, which are good, would eventually become unfunded mandates with the burden of enforcement on the city and added costs on construction to the citizens,” Zimmerman said Monday.
“The Council is not ignoring potential improvements to our community that some aspects of the plan would engender. They are concerned about the additional requirements.”
Regarding City Hall, which is an area of improvement the city has identified, Zimmerman said, “We are having an energy audit completed. The lights may change, but the biggest issue is heat loss through the windows. SHPO (Historic Preservation Office) may not let us do anything with that,” Zimmerman said.
He expects the matter won’t return to Cascade Locks’ agenda unless one of the councilors who voted against passing the energy plan decides to raise the topic.
“Unless a member of the winning side on the motion brings the matter up for reconsideration, there will be no further action taken,” he said.
The other jurisdiction in Cascade Locks that has been involved in the energy plan’s development — the port — diverged from the city.
The Port of Cascade Locks Board of Directors okayed the energy plan at their April 5 meeting. Port General Manager Paul Koch said the commission adopted Resolution 2018-3 in support of the countywide energy plan.
The resolution notes that “Cascade Locks is a separate community with its own issues, resources and capabilities to deliver its own desired future in an effective and efficient manner.”
Representatives of the energy plan have described it as a guiding document, not a mandate.
Its vision statement calls it “a blueprint” to “reduce emissions from the burning of fossil fuels and increase economic benefits related to energy use in Hood River County, while improving community resilience and energy independence.”
Energy plan teamwork will continue despite Cascade Locks’ withdrawal, noted Hood River County Community Development Director John Roberts.
“This does not affect the advisory/plan overall, which serves as a non-binding commitment to its four other funding partners,” Roberts explained in an email. “What it will affect is possible future funding or grant opportunities for the City of Cascade Locks related to energy and energy resilience.”
Focus areas in the plan include community scale solutions, building design construction and occupancy, transportation and land use, and water and agriculture.
The plan targets three goals: Reduce fossil fuel use, improve resilience and energy independence and increase investment in local power. It seeks to guide the county and greater Gorge area in investing in energy initiatives to reduce carbon emissions while saving taxpayers money.
In fall 2016, the five local governments and Energy Trust of Oregon jumpstarted the energy plan process by jointly funding a Resource Assistance for Rural Environments coordinator, Marla Harvey. A steering committee gathered public comments and presented a finalized version of the plan to local boards in early 2018.
A longer-term home for the program has been up for discussion this spring. An agency based in The Dalles, Mid-Columbia Economic Development District (MCEDD), has been involved in those talks, though no formal agreement has emerged.
MCEDD Executive Director Amanda Hoey explained last week, “Our board was approached about the possibility for providing an administrative home and the Executive Committee has provided staff the authorization to pursue the conversations with Hood River County and Energy Plan representatives to identify if it is an appropriate fit.
“There is a great deal of momentum from the energy planning effort. We are seeking to identify means to sustain and implement while further aligning to regional objectives.”
A copy of the energy plan is posted online at thse county’s website — www.co.hood-river.or.us — under the “Energy Plan” tab.
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