FY2025 Proposed Operating and Capital Budgets

FY2025 Proposed Budget Organizational Budgets

Division of Energy & Environment

Division of Energy & Environment The Division of Energy & Environment (DEE) was created at the beginning of FY’23 to implement Frederick County Government’s (FCG) climate emergency mobilization efforts in synergy with existing sustainability and regulatory stormwater functions. At the start of Fiscal Year 2024, the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Permit was 6 months old. DEE’s Climate and Energy Action Plan for Internal Operations (Internal Ops CEAP) had just been completed; implementation was underway. DEE has had big successes so far in 2024: the completion of key strategic assessments; creation of an environmental justice and equity function; expansion and implementation of key programs and projects; significant cost savings from energy savings, utility rebates, and grants; implementation of CIP restoration projects, and an expanded coordination role with Divisions and the public. Our analyses and early implementation successes revealed the scope of efforts DEE and partner Divisions would need to carry out within the organization to meet Climate & Energy goals; additional staffing capacity is requested in FY’25. The Department of Climate & Energy This Department includes all functions of the Division except regulatory stormwater functions: · Climate and Energy Management · Grants · Communications · Sustainability and Equity Communications, Grants, and Sustainability & Equity Programs cut across the Division. The past year, DEE managed $4,061,216 in Grants , with $3,738,086 in applications submitted and over $20M more underway for FY’25. Unprecedented federal funding from the Inflation Reduction and Infrastructure & Jobs Acts allowed DEE to accelerate implementation of Climate and Energy programs. The Sustainability & Equity program was refocused in FY’24 to ensure that our programs serve everyone in the community. We coordinated these priorities with the County’s Sustainability Commission. We trained staff on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) and presented on Environmental Justice (EJ) to leadership; initiated the EJ Air Monitoring Project and installed 12 air monitors across the County; facilitated the Building Community Together workgroup to provide referrals and partner support to Community Based Organizations (CBOs) that serve Low Income and Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed (A.L.I.C.E) households with cost-saving energy retrofits; and developed formal partnerships with Centro Hispano and the Asian American Center of Frederick to provide program referrals and application support to populations with limited English proficiency. Our plans in FY’25 are to look at all our programs through the lens of DEIJ and continue to make program improvements. Using an EPA Environmental Justice Government-to- Government grant award of $997,466 and other federal grant funds in FY’25, we will expand the Green Homes Challenge elements to include the “Green Compass” to navigate households to needed resources, forge Green Partnerships with CBOs like Mobilize Frederick, implement an appliance rebate program, and expand home energy retrofits. The Climate and Energy Management program commits Frederick County to doing our part to address the Climate Crisis. In 2020, the Frederick County Council adopted a Climate Emergency Resolution that resolved to cut greenhouse gas emissions to half of 2010 levels no later than 2030, reduce levels 100% by 2050, equitably address impacts from climate change, and draw down carbon from the atmosphere. To guide the work, the Council established an independent volunteer-based Climate Emergency Mobilization Work Gro up. The workgroup’s Climate Response and Resilience Report (CRRR) offers recommendations based on the work of over 70 volunteers, who together invested 18,500 hours over the course of a year.

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