7101_Pittsburgh_Climate_Action_Plan_3.0-compressed.pdf

City of Pittsburgh

CLIMATE

ACTION PLAN

Version 3.0

Climate Action Plan 3.0

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thank you to the following organizations for their contributions to the

Climate Action Plan

ACCESS

Airport Corridor

Transportation Association Action Housing

AgRecycle Allegheny County Sanitary

Authority Allegheny CleanWays Allegheny Conference

Allegheny County Allegheny County

Conservation District Allegheny County Economic

Development Allegheny Land Trust

American Geophysical Union American Health Care Group, LLC

Aquion Energy

Aramark Avison Young

Bike Pittsburgh BiodiverCity BNY Mellon

Brazen Kitchen Bridgeway Capital

BuroHappold Carnegie Mellon University, Program for Deliberative Democracy

Carnegie Mellon Traffic21 Carnegie Mellon University

School of Art Carnegie Museum of Natural

History Castriota Metals & Recycling

Chatham University CJL Engineering

Committee for Accessible Transportation (CAT)

Conservation Consultants Inc

Construction Junction Covestro

Delta Development Group Direct Energy

Duquesne Light Company Duquesne University Duquesne University's

Center for Environmental Research and Education

Dylamato’s Market East End Food Co-op

Eat n Park Eaton Corporation

EcoCraft Homes EIS Solar EnerNoc

Ethos Collaborative Eutectics

EverPower EvolveEA

Group Against Smog and Pollution Google

Green Building Alliance Grow Pittsburgh GTECH Strategies

Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh

Hillman Foundation Homewood Children's

Village IMG Midstream

International Code Council Itron Inc.

Just Harvest Michael Baker International

Mitsubishi Electric Power Products

Mount Washington Community Development

Corporation

NAIOP

National Academy of Sciences

National Energy Technology Laboratory

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

NRG Energy, Inc Oakland Transportation

Management Association Oakland Planning and

Development Corporation Oxford Development

Port Authority of Allegheny County

Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse

Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group Pittsburgh Penn State

Extension Pennsylvania Department of

Transportation PennFuture

Pennsylvania Environmental Council

Peoples Natural Gas Phipps Conservatory Pittsburgh Downtown

Partnership Pittsburgh Food Policy

Council Pittsburgh Parking Authority

Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy

Pittsburgh Pirates Pittsburgh Water and Sewer

Authority Pittsburghers for Public

Transit

PNC

Port Authority of Allegheny County

Pennsylvania Resources Council

Putting Down Roots Pittsburgh Botanical Garden

RAND Corporation Regional Industrial

Development Corporation Richard King Mellon

Foundation Riverlife

Rye Development Science & Engineering Ambassadors Program

Shadyside Worms

Solarize Allegheny Southwestern Pennsylvania

Commission Sports & Exhibition

Authority Steel City Soils

Sustainable Pittsburgh The Heinz Endowments Thriving Earth Exchange

Tree Pittsburgh University of Pittsburgh University of Pittsburgh

Medical Center

Urban Redevelopment Authority

Urban Land Institute Walnut Capital

Waste Management Western Pennsylvania

Conservancy Westinghouse Electric

Company Women for a Healthy

Environment Zipcar

412 Food Rescue

Cover photographs are by Flore Marion

Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5

Why a Climate Action Plan for Pittsburgh 7

Climate Change Introduction 11

Pittsburgh: Carbon Legacy to Climate Leadership 15

CHAPTER ONE: Measuring Pittsburgh’s Impact 19

CHAPTER TWO: Energy Generation and Distribution 21

CHAPTER THREE: Buildings and End Use Efficiency 29

CHAPTER FOUR: Transportation and Land Use 41

CHAPTER FIVE: Waste and Resource Recovery 51

CHAPTER SIX: Food and Agriculture 61

CHAPTER SEVEN: Urban Ecosystems 71

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Climate change is a major threat to communities around the world. Potential consequences of climate change include an increase in extreme weather events, higher rates of infectious diseases and heat-related illnesses, the possible shortage of food and basic goods as well as an increase in public expenditures to mitigate these effects. The City of Pittsburgh has long recognized that wide-ranging action must be taken in order to mitigate the effects of climate change on both local and global communities.

As a result, on February 9, 2007, the City of Pittsburgh signed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, pledging to implement local climate change mitigation solutions that would save taxpayer dollars and reduce long-term energy use.

Pittsburgh’s Green Government Task Force (GGTF) was charged with developing the first ever Pittsburgh Climate Action Plan, adopted by the City as a guiding document in July 2008. This document provided an outline of specific strategies for achieving reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

In 2012, the Pittsburgh Climate Action Plan 2.0 was created to review and revise the efforts of government, private businesses, institutions of higher education, and Pittsburgh residents toward the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. New measures were proposed that could be implemented in order meet a greenhouse gas reduction target of 20% below 2003 levels by the year 2023.

By 2017, it was clear that expedited measures must be taken to help mitigate the local effects of global climate change. Building on the successes of the previous versions, Pittsburgh Climate Action Plan, Version 3.0 has been created to track progress made through the first two plans and to propose new measures to counteract the adverse effects of climate change. This document aligns with Mayor William Peduto’s climate goals1 signed in 2015 at the Paris Accords, where he was one of 12 mayors representing the United States. In June 2017, Mayor Peduto also joined 175 other U.S. mayors in signing an Executive Order1 to pledge efforts to meet the “1.5 degrees Celsius target” as set forth by the Paris Agreement.

The Pittsburgh Climate Action Plan 3.0 takes a renewed approach to climate change mitigation by presenting action plans and strategies regarding six key areas: Energy Generation & Distribution, Buildings & End Use Efficiency, Transportation & Land Use, Waste & Resource Recovery, Food & Agriculture, and Urban Ecosystems.

While each area has specific goals and actions, there is significant overlap among action areas. This helps to create a more holistic plan that provides opportunities for greater impact through coordination across sectors. Of the six focus areas, the overlapping actions naturally create two action clusters;

energy and ecosystems.

Many strategies related to energy usage and sources are presented within the first three chapters, Energy Generation & Distribution, Buildings, and Transportation & Land Use. Improved energy efficiency and increased fuel shift are the two main goals in these chapters. In order to reach these ambitious

1 https://apps.pittsburghpa.gov/mayorpeduto/Climate_exec_order_06.02.17_(1).pdf https://apps.pittsburghpa.gov/mayorpeduto/Climate_exec_order_06.02.17_(1).pdf goals, projects must address both goals. For example, when shifting to electric vehicles, carbon-free charging sources must also be implemented.

The remaining three chapters; Waste and Resource Recovery, Food & Agriculture, and Urban Ecosystems follow a similar, overlapping plan. The main idea presented in all three chapters is waste reduction and proper resource management.

Why a Climate Action Plan for Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh has come a long way from the days of smoke darkened skies that were a result of the extensive steel industry. However, as global temperatures continue to rise and the costly impact of climate change becomes more prevalent, cities are at the forefront of climate action.

Local government has a responsibility to provide for the health, safety, and welfare of its residents. The Climate Action Plan provides a road map for reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the City of Pittsburgh while also improving the resilience, health, and overall quality of life for Pittsburgh residents. The Climate Action Plan is designed to serve as a guiding document that will support future decision making in Pittsburgh.

How the Action Plan Developed The Climate Action Plan 3.0 was a multi-year process that was focused on thoughtful civic engagement.

The deliberative civic engagement process included over 400 residents representing 90 organizations from the Pittsburgh business community, non-profit sector, and local, state, and federal government partners. This process allowed the City to adopt pragmatic strategies that account for and expand upon many actions and initiatives already underway. 2

2 www.nextpittsburgh.com

A Picture of Pittsburgh

58.35 sq. miles Population: 305,704 Population density:

5,483/sq. mile http://www.nextpittsburgh.com/

Clean Power Plan

In the development process, Pittsburgh modeled many goals and strategies after the U.S. Clean Power Plan framework.

The Clean Power Plan (CPP) requires the state of Pennsylvania to reduce power sector emissions by 24% below 2012 levels. At a national level, the CPP aims to reduce emissions from coal-burning power plants, increase the use of renewable electricity, and improve energy conservation and efficiency. Similar to the CPP, the Pittsburgh Climate Action Plan supports strategies for reducing dependence on coal, encouraging conversion of coal fired powerplants to natural gas, protecting existing carbon free nuclear power, increasing utilization and generation of renewable electricity, and decreasing energy consumption through optimization and efficiency improvements in both the power and transportation sectors. 3

Pittsburgh’s Resilience Challenges While the Climate Action Plan is designed first and foremost as a carbon mitigation strategy, there is a broad scope of ‘co-benefits’ that can be achieved through the proposed actions.

When putting forth strategies and pathways for deep carbon reductions, these co-benefits were analyzed to assist with action prioritization. Mitigation actions can help address Pittsburgh’s Resilience Challenges and achieve key co-benefits such as improved equity, increased economic development and decreased negative health impacts.

The threats to Pittsburgh’s resilience include both chronic stresses—long-term, slow burning issues that overwhelm the capacity of city resources and erode resident wellbeing—and potential acute shocks— sudden, large-scale disasters that disrupt city services and threaten residents due to extreme events.

While the city’s inland geography protects its residents from many of the natural hazards that are expected to occur more frequently in coastal regions, the city’s endemic stresses disproportionately affect some of its most vulnerable residents and represent its core resilience challenges. Specifically, Pittsburgh faces significant challenges with social, racial, and economic inequities that have persisted for decades, leading to unequal access to housing, transportation, employment, and services. Other key stresses affecting vulnerable Pittsburghers include aging infrastructure and poor air and water quality.

Potential future shocks include extreme weather, flooding, landslides, and extreme temperatures, among other concerns identified during strategy development. Action on climate change provides a unique opportunity for coordination and collaboration that can address Pittsburgh’s most significant stressors.

Alignment with Existing Plans The measures laid out in this plan aim to reduce carbon emissions, but also have been prioritized based on the ability to impact additional shocks and stressors identified within Pittsburgh’s OnePGH Resilience

3 https://www.edf.org/sites/default/files/Clean-Power-Plan-Infographic.jpg

Environmental Defense Fund https://www.edf.org/sites/default/files/Clean-Power-Plan-Infographic.jpg

Strategy.4 Actions high on the prioritization list will not only reduce emissions but will also improve overall resiliency, increase innovation, foster leadership, promote workforce development, introduce economic opportunities and align with the OnePGH Strategy and Pittsburgh’s p4 Criteria.

Pittsburgh’s Resilience Framework The Pittsburgh Climate Action Plan is designed to be a subheading of the OnePGH Resilience Strategy.

Similar to the resilience strategy, the Climate Action Plan is also meant to align with the four “p”s of the p4 framework, already adopted by partners across the city to inspire innovative, sustainable, and inclusive action. Priority actions in the Climate Action Plan will reduce emissions as well as act collectively to make Pittsburgh a resilient city in terms of its People, Place, Planet, and Performance.

PEOPLE Pittsburgh will empower all residents to contribute to thriving and supportive communities by ensuring that basic needs are met. We will be an inclusive city of innovation that celebrates our diversity, and all residents will have equal access to resources and opportunity.

PLACE Pittsburgh will use land to benefit all residents; to increase social cohesion, connectivity, public and ecological health; and to protect against current and future risks. We will design, scale, and maintain our infrastructure for current and future needs, providing benefits and services to our neighborhoods during times of calm and crisis.

PLANET Pittsburgh will achieve long-term environmental health through wise stewardship, improved use of our resources, and a reduced carbon footprint.

PERFORMANCE Pittsburgh will work closely with neighbors and partners for improved planning and decision-making.

4 https://pittsburghpa.gov/onepgh/documents/pgh_resilience_strategy.pdf

OnePGH

OnePGH is the strategy for Pittsburgh to thrive in the 21st century as a city of engaged, empowered, and coordinated neighbors.

Pittsburgh will be resilient when our city is livable for all residents. OnePGH establishes a bold vision for the City, buildings on recent successes and a wealth of community assets, while directly confronting the complex challenges that we all continue to face.

p4 Initiative

The p4 initiative is based on a central unifying framework: People, Planet, Place, and Performance.

Launched in 2015 to create a new sustainable, innovative, and inclusive model for development and design, p4 aims to establish Pittsburgh as a “city of the future.” In the past decades, Pittsburgh has transformed dramatically since the steel industry’s collapse. This transformation will continue through a major new wave of development, representing approximately 500 acres across the urban core. This development potential and the manner in which it is guided, will influence Pittsburgh’s built and natural environments, and communities for generations to come.

https://pittsburghpa.gov/onepgh/documents/pgh_resilience_strategy.pdf

Climate Action Plan Implementation The Division of Sustainability and Resilience, as a part of the Department of City Planning, will serve as the lead office for implementation of the Climate Action Plan. The Division of Sustainability and Resilience will support a series of implementation steps to facilitate the effective rollout and adoption of the Climate Action Plan across sectors and stakeholders. As implementation progresses, there are a number of keys, such as policy intervention, funding and budget allocations, community engagement, data analysis, and partnership coordination, that can be activated to optimize the success of the Climate Action Plan.

Sustainability and Resilience Commission In order to fully recognize all of the actions and initiatives laid out in the Climate Action Plan, serious effort will be required on behalf of the City and its many stakeholders. The first action needed to begin implementing the Climate Action Plan is the creation of a Sustainability and Resilience Commission.

Currently, the City has an existing Sustainability Commission comprised of representatives from various City Departments whose main focus has been to make city operations more sustainable. The proposed Sustainability and Resilience Commission would be an amendment to the existing commission.

Expanding the Commission to include members from the nonprofit, education, utility, and corporate sectors will allow for greater impact and coordination among stakeholders. Once established, the updated commission will oversee implementation of the Climate Action Plan as well as tracking of progress toward goals. This commission will ensure that the CAP 3.0 is implemented in a way that benefits all Pittsburghers.

Institution Engagement The City of Pittsburgh will need ongoing support and engagement from all parties, especially large institutions such as hospitals and universities that operate within the city, in order to achieve these ambitious goals. These institutions have the opportunity to create significant impact across all sectors.

Additionally, their expertise and research capabilities have proven invaluable to the climate action process. Expanding upon these existing partnerships will help foster innovation and expedite progress toward the 2030 Goals.

Community Engagement Community engagement and grass roots action is a vital aspect of successful climate initiatives.

Organizations such as the Citizens Climate Lobby, Climate Realities Leadership Corp, and the Sierra Club work to engage community members in climate related issues and policy decisions. These organizations will play an important role in educating the public and encouraging action at the neighborhood and household levels.

Pittsburgh Climate Action Plan 4.0 This current Climate Action Plan provides a holistic approach to reducing Pittsburgh’s impact on climate change and improving the overall resilience of the city and its residents. This plan provides pathways for emission reduction and is designed to be a guiding document for the City of Pittsburgh and relevant partners. It is meant to be a living document that evolves as actions progress. Additionally, this Climate Action Plan is designed to be a 5 year plan. As technology improves and policies change, an updated CAP can be written. Actions started as a result of this plan and the associated data to be collected will inform the next iteration of the Pittsburgh Climate Action Plan.

Climate Change Introduction In 2016, Earth’s surface temperatures were the warmest since modern recordkeeping began in 1880, according to independent analyses conducted by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)5. Earth’s average surface temperature has risen approximately 2.0 degrees Fahrenheit (1.1 degrees Celsius) since the start of the industrial revolution in the late 1700’s, a change driven largely by increased activities releasing carbon dioxide and other human-made emissions into the atmosphere. Most of the warming occurred in the past 35 years, with 16 of the 17 warmest years on record occurring since 2001.

Climate Change Greenhouse gases (GHGs) such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and ozone (O3) in the atmosphere, absorb some of the infrared radiation (heat) emitted by Earth’s surface, which keeps our planet livable. Without the greenhouse effect, Earth’s average temperature would be near 0 degrees Fahrenheit, rather than the 20th century average of 57.1 degrees F.

However, human activities such as burning fossil fuels and destroying forests have increased the amount of GHGs in the atmosphere over the last 100 years. This is disturbing the optimum levels of GHGs, amounting to increased heating effects. As emissions increase, more heat is trapped, leading to numerous changes in the Earth’s natural processes.

For over 800,000 years the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has fluctuated but has not exceeded 300 parts per million (ppm). Currently, the levels hover above 400 ppm.

The dramatic increase in GHGs in the atmosphere has already led to a 1.5°F (0.85°C) increase in global average surface temperature from 1880 to 2015.

5 https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-noaa-data-show-2016-warmest-year-on-record-globally https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-noaa-data-show-2016-warmest-year-on-record-globally

Climate Change Consequences Earth is a resilient planet with many complex interconnected systems that work to keep the planet in balance. However, global warming has already changed climates by altering evaporation and precipitation patterns, melting snow and ice and warming the ocean. This has caused heat waves, droughts, extreme storms, wildfires, hurricanes and tornadoes of varying severity across several regions of the world. If carbon emitting activities continue at the same rate, the planet could see an 8.1°F (4.5°C) increase over preindustrial temperatures by 2100. This could result in the extinction of 16% of the species on Earth.6

Global Sources of Emissions The majority of human-caused GHG emissions are due to burning fossil fuels like coal, natural gas, gasoline, and diesel for electricity, heat and transportation. However, it is important to recognize that almost 24% of global emissions are due to deforestation, industrial agriculture and the impact of other land uses. China, the U.S., the European Union, Russia, and Japan are responsible for 70% of the world’s GHG emissions. Developed nations with relatively small populations are disproportionately responsible for climate change, largely driven by resource intensive lifestyles.

6 https://archive.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/basics/concepts.html 7 https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/global-greenhouse-gas-emissions-data https://archive.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/basics/concepts.html https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/global-greenhouse-gas-emissions-data

The Paris Agreement In December 2015, global leaders from 195 countries met in France for the 21st Conference of Parties (COP 21) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The mission of COP21 was to “achieve a legally binding and universal agreement on climate, with the aim of keeping global warming below 2°C.” Prior to the conference, 185 countries submitted an Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) that outlined their strategies and goals for reducing their carbon emissions as a basis for negotiation. However, these INDCs put the world on track for a 2.7 to 3.7°C increase, surpassing the COP21 2°C goal. Meanwhile, leading climate scientist James Hansen published a paper outlining the dangers of feedback loops caused at 2°C. Vulnerable countries, such as low-lying island nations – the Maldives, the Marshall Islands and the Seychelles – have long called for a 1.5°C ceiling.

On December 12, 2015, the Paris Agreement8 was adopted by consensus, and the treaty has been signed by 179 parties and ratified by 20. Article 2.1 states that parties agree to “Hold[ing] the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, recognizing that this would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change.”

However, even if all emissions ceased tomorrow, GHGs already in the atmosphere would still trigger an additional 0.6°C rise above the current 1.1°C, causing a 1.7°C increase overall. Therefore, immediate action is needed to minimize emissions as soon as possible, and also sequester atmospheric carbon in large quantities.

Climate change in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania’s emissions are high enough to compare with some of the largest nations in the world. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) conducted a study in 20059 and found that, when compared globally, Pennsylvania’s emissions were high enough to rank as world’s twenty-second largest emitter of CO2. For comparison, Pennsylvania’s emissions are higher than those of the states of New York and Wyoming combined, and the per capita emissions are more than double those of New York State.

Increased Temperatures In addition to being a significant contributor to climate change, Pennsylvania is also projected to see significant impact due to climate change.10 By the end of the century, Pennsylvania is projected to experience a dramatic increase in the number of extremely hot days. The regions that will experience the greatest warming are in the southwest and southeast.

8 https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement 9 https://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/state/analysis/pdf/stateanalysis.pdf 10https://www.researchgate.net/publication/216769159_Confronting_Climate_Change_in_the_US_Northeast_Science_Impacts_ and_Solutions https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement https://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/state/analysis/pdf/stateanalysis.pdf https://www.researchgate.net/publication/216769159_Confronting_Climate_Change_in_the_US_Northeast_Science_Impacts_and_Solutions https://www.researchgate.net/publication/216769159_Confronting_Climate_Change_in_the_US_Northeast_Science_Impacts_and_Solutions

Although Pittsburgh is an inland city that is sheltered from many ‘typical’ consequences of climate change such as sea level rise and extreme hurricanes, Pittsburgh has seen numerous climate related impacts in recent year.

Increase in Lyme disease The incidence of Lyme disease in the U.S. continues to rise rapidly, especially in the Northeast and Great Lakes regions. If left untreated, Lyme disease can cause severe and debilitating health symptoms.

According to the CDC, Pennsylvania had the highest number of Lyme disease cases in the nation for three straight years, with many of the highest numbers occurring in Western Pennsylvania.11 Lyme disease infections usually occur most frequently in the spring and fall due to increased tick activity. Deer ticks that transmit the disease are dormant during the winter, but become active when the temperature rises above freezing. Warmer weather and milder winters mean that the ticks become active earlier and remain active for a longer period of time, allowing the disease to become more widespread.

11 https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/datasurveillance/index.html

Lyme disease cases in 2001 vs 2016 https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/datasurveillance/index.html

Washington Boulevard Flooding In August 2011, two storms hit the Pittsburgh area, dropping 3-4 inches of rain in one day, with 2.1 inches coming in a single hour during the evening rush hour. The storm water overwhelmed the area’s drainage system and caused manhole covers to pop off the road. Four people were killed when flash floods swamped cars and water quickly rose up to 9 feet in some areas along Washington Boulevard near the Allegheny River. Overall, 18 vehicles were stranded. The boulevard is in the basin of a large watershed and receives runoff from surrounding neighborhoods. As the climate changes, heavy rain events and extreme flooding will continue to occur more frequently. 12

Air Quality Impacts Pittsburgh first rose to prominence through fossil fuel extraction and carbon-intensive industries, thus establishing its legacy as the ‘Steel City’. Coal was mined from Pittsburgh’s hillsides, and then burned to forge steel. For several decades, the city was polluted with smoke and particulate matter that choked out the sky and required streetlights to be lit during the day. Along with being the “City that Built America” Pittsburgh earned the nickname “Hell with the Lid Off” due to the extreme air pollution created by the steel industry.

Pittsburgh has made vast improvements in air quality since the height of the steel industry, including enactment of the nation’s first Clean Air Act. However, the American Lung Association still ranks Pittsburgh the eighth worst of more than 200 metropolitan areas in the nation for long-term (annual) soot pollution, the 14th worst for short-term or daily soot pollution, and the 29th worst for ozone, the main precursor of unhealthy smog.13 Air quality has significant health implications in our region. A recent study, conducted by Dr. Deborah Gentile of the Pediatric Alliance, showed that while the national average for pediatric asthma is about 8%, nearly 23% of children in the Pittsburgh region have been diagnosed with asthma.14 In Southwestern Pennsylvania, there are an estimated 1500 deaths that can be attributed to poor air quality each year. As Pittsburgh strives to reduce GHG emissions, there must also be a focus on improved air quality and the related human health benefits.

Pittsburgh: Carbon Legacy to Climate Leadership

Existing Climate Commitments For years, Pittsburgh has shown a commitment to action on climate change. Programs such as the Sustainable Pittsburgh Challenge (formerly the Green Workplace Challenge) and the 2030 District

12 https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2011/08/19/woman-2-children-found-dead-after-flash-flooding-on-washington-blvd/ 13 http://www.stateoftheair.org/2013/ 14 https://www.ahn.org/news/9-8-2017/study-local-schoolchildren-reveals-alarming-rates-uncontrolled-asthma-exposure-to

Flooding on Washington Boulevard https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2011/08/19/woman-2-children-found-dead-after-flash-flooding-on-washington-blvd/ http://www.stateoftheair.org/2013/ https://www.ahn.org/news/9-8-2017/study-local-schoolchildren-reveals-alarming-rates-uncontrolled-asthma-exposure-to are the direct result of previous climate action plans and the Pittsburgh Climate Initiative. The first two Climate Action Plans also led to the creation and eventual expansion of the City’s Office of Sustainability.

Pittsburgh has also signed on to a number of national and international climate agreements and initiatives. These partnerships provide technical assistance, city-to-city collaboration, peer to peer learning, and offer metrics by which Pittsburgh can track progress.

Under 2 Coalition

The Under2 MOU is a commitment by sub-national governments to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions toward net-zero by 2050. Central to this is the public commitment by all signatories to reduce their

GHG emissions by 80-95% on 1990 levels, or to 2 metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent per capita, by 2050.

Every government faces different challenges on this journey, and the Under2 Coalition provides a global forum that supports Under2 signatories in developing bold, impactful strategies and aligning on a trajectory consistent with 2050 carbon neutrality.

We Are Still In

We Are Still In is the broadest cross-section of the U.S.

economy ever assembled in pursuit of climate action.

Over 2,500 leaders strong and growing, We Are Still In shows the world that leaders from across America’s state houses, city halls, board rooms, and college campuses stand by the Paris Agreement and are committed to meeting its goals.

Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy

The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy is an international alliance of cities and local governments with a shared long-term vision of promoting and supporting voluntary action to combat climate change and move to a low emission, resilient society.

ICLEI

ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability is the leading global network of more than 1,500 cities, towns and regions committed to building a sustainable future.

ICLEI provides technical consulting, training, and information services to build capacity, share knowledge, and support local government in the implementation of sustainable development at the local level. Their basic premise is that locally designed and driven initiatives can provide an effective and cost-efficient way to achieve local, national and global sustainability objectives.

Pittsburgh Climate Action Plans PCAP 3.0 builds upon the information gathered from PCAP 1.0 and 2.0.The first two climate action plans were organized into four sectors: Business, Community, Higher Education and Local Government. Within each sector, approaches targeted energy, transportation, and waste management as well as education, advocacy, and coordination. Given that many strategies for greenhouse gas reduction require extended time-frames, some planned activities have not been completed; however, PCAP 1.0 & 2.0 set in motion many important measures.

Chart 1: Actions outlined in completed in previous Climate Action Plans

The first two Pittsburgh Climate Action Plans laid the groundwork for and supported the creation of successful citywide programs like the Green Workplace Challenge and the Pittsburgh 2030 District, which encourage organizations and building owners to implement sustainable practices and measure energy and water conservation.

From 2011-2017 over 250 participating organizations have completed 7,840 measurable actions in the Green Workplace Challenge, have saved more than 127 million kWh and prevented 23,283 metric tons of CO2.

In the Pittsburgh 2030 District, 104 Property Partners managing over 79.2 million square feet across 492 commercial buildings have reduced energy use by 10.7%, water use by 7.4%, and carbon emissions from transportation by 24.2% below baselines. The 2016 energy use reduction of 982 million kBtu is equivalent to 113,540 metric tons of CO2.

The 12-member Pittsburgh Higher Education Climate Consortium (HECC) has collectively achieved a 20% reduction in carbon emissions since 2003. These reductions have come as a result of bold actions such as Carnegie Mellon University’s purchase of100% renewable electricity and University of Pittsburgh’s adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals.

PCAP 1.0 also led to the codification of the City of Pittsburgh’s Sustainability Coordinator position, which has since evolved into the City’s Division of Sustainability and Resilience, now with five full-time

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PCAP 1.0 PCAP 1.0 PCAP 1.0 PCAP 1.0 PCAP 2.0 PCAP 2.0 PCAP 2.0 PCAP 2.0

Pittsburgh Climate Action Plan Completion

Total Actions Completed Actions staff members. PCAP 2.0 helped to create a position for a Sustainability Coordinator at Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority (PWSA). This is in addition to Sustainability Coordinators at the Sports & Exhibition Authority (SEA) and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA).

Building on results from PCAP 1.0 and 2.0, PCAP 3.0 is structured according to emission sources, with a focus on instrumental, measurable actions with assigned stakeholders. Action plans are broken into six categories or chapters:

1) Energy Generation and Distribution

2) Buildings and End Use Efficiency

3) Transportation and Land Use

4) Waste and Resource Reduction

5) Food and Agriculture

6) Urban Ecosystems

This PCAP 3.0 lays out pathways, strategies, and a framework for achieving Pittsburgh’s greenhouse gas reduction goals by the year 2030 and beyond, as follows:

Pittsburgh’s Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Goals (below on a 2003 baseline)

- 20% GHG Reduction by 2023

- 50% GHG Reduction by 2030

- 80% GHG Reduction by 2050

- Pursue a future carbon neutral goal

Pittsburgh 2030 Climate Goals Internal City Operations: City of Pittsburgh:

1) 100% renewable electricity use 1) 50% energy use reduction

2) 100% fossil fuel free fleet 2) 50% water use reduction

3) Divestment from fossil fuels 3) 50% transportation emission reduction

4) Zero Waste- 100% diversion from landfills

In short, Pittsburgh follows a 0-50-100 goal; zero waste, 50% emissions reduction, and 100% renewable electricity. These broad, ambitious goals allow for innovation and collaboration with a variety of stakeholders.

Goal: Measure Pittsburgh's climate and ecological impact and report annually

Developing a Greenhouse Gas Inventory is the first step in managing climate change. The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory quantifies emissions and analyzes the sources of those emissions. This data informs mitigation strategies and is essential for tracking progress toward future reduction goals.

A citywide greenhouse gas inventory, based on 2013 data, was compiled and used to inform the Climate Action Plan 3.0.

Sector Based Inventory GHG inventory protocols tend to focus on Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, as defined in Table 1, while Scope 3 emissions are more difficult to quantify. Scope 1 emissions come from sources within the city limits, such as gasoline that is burned by vehicles on city roads. Scope 2 emissions occur as a consequence of electricity demand within city limits. Burning of fossil fuels at power plants located outside of Pittsburgh to satisfy electricity demands within the city are a main contributor to Scope 2 emissions. Scope 3 emissions are other emissions associated with activities that occur within city limits.

For example, Pittsburgh residents generate waste, but that waste is hauled to landfills outside of the city. Methane from that waste is therefore part of Pittsburgh scope 3 emissions. Pittsburgh’s GHG inventory primarily focuses on Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions as prescribed in the ICLEI methodology.

These emissions are related to data that is more reliable and readily available.

2013 Greenhouse Gas Inventory In the 2013 GHG Inventory, included as an appendix to this Climate Action Plan, emissions are categorized by sources and activities in each sector: Residential, Commercial, Industrial, Transportation, and Waste.

In terms of annual emissions, Pittsburgh saw a 12% increase in emissions from 2003 to 2008, but a decrease of 2% from 2008 to 2013. It is difficult to draw conclusions from Pittsburgh’s existing greenhouse gas inventories due to different methods and scopes of consumption data. However, it is clear that Pittsburgh needs to take more ambitious action in order to ensure achievement of the 2030 goals.

15 http://www.ghgprotocol.org/calculationg-tools-faq

Scope Definition

Scope 1 GHG emissions from sources located within the City boundary

Scope 2 Indirect GHG emissions occurring as consequences of the use of grid-supplied electricity, heat, steam and/or cooling within city boundary.

Scope 3 All other GHG emissions that occur outside city boundary as a result of activities taking place within the City boundary.

CHAPTER ONE: Measuring Pittsburgh’s Impact

Table 1: Greenhouse Gas Inventory Scope Definitions Chart 2: 2013 Pittsburgh Greenhouse

Gas Inventory Summary

Chart 3: Weather Normalized-Pittsburgh Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Sector

Future Inventories Using data that is nearly five years old is not ideal and makes it difficult to demonstrate the impact of recent programs and initiative. In order to truly track progress and align actions with measurable GHG reductions, more up to date, readily available data is needed. Moving forward, one of the first steps in tracking progress is to establish a more consistent process for conducting a greenhouse gas inventory.

With the new resources available to the City of Pittsburgh, through the American Geophysical Union (AGU), and Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) extensive effort was put into standardizing the data collection and analysis process in order to develop the 2013 inventory. With this methodology and strong partnerships with the local utility companies in place, future inventories should be less time intensive and more reliable. This will allow for a yearly GHG Inventory to be compiled.

Several cities are adjusting inventory protocols to account for more scope 3 emissions, such as the carbon and ecological footprints associated with the consumption of products and services within city limits. Pittsburgh also plans to take steps to further understand and track its Scope 3 emissions for the future exercises in GHG inventory management.

1,000,000

2,000,000

3,000,000

4,000,000

5,000,000

6,000,000

2003 2008 2013

Pittsburgh Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Waste - Private Collection Landfill Emissions

Waste - Public Collection Landfill Emissions

Transportation - Diesel Emissions

Transportation - Gasoline Emissions

Industrial Electricity Emissions

Industrial Natural Gas Emissions

Commercial Electricity Emissions

Goal: 50% Emissions Reduction below 2003 levels by 2030 Goal: Power all City facilities with 100% clean electricity by

Objective:

- Reduce natural gas fugitive emissions by 50% by 2030

- Reduce line loss from electricity

- Create a 21st Century energy system and support the utilities of the future

- Install 200 Megawatts of local, clean power by 2030

- Convert 50% of Pittsburgh customers to clean electricity

Strategies:

- Calculate reasonable estimates for annual methane leakage volume

- Calculate reasonable estimates for annual transmission loss for local grid

- Improve gas line leak detection

- Implement a long term infrastructure plan to replace aging natural gas delivery lines and to optimize electricity delivery grids

- Install smart meters to provide better customer data access

- Duquesne Light to install solar microgrid pilot at Woods Run facility

- Support alternative utility rate-making in Pennsylvania such as decoupling, formula rates, cost-recovery mechanisms, etc.

- Develop and implement Pittsburgh’s District Energy Plan

- Create a local Energy Authority to enable community choice aggregation, power purchase agreements, and renewable regulatory approvals

- Support Duquesne Light with the Public Utility Commission (PUC) to install local renewable power generation in order to meet Pennsylvania’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards (AEPS) for Provider of the Last Resort (POLAR) customers

- Support and allow for community source aggregation and renewable regulatory approvals (Big Opportunity)

Challenges:

- Regulations and policies regarding energy grids are often enacted at the state rather than local level

- Aging infrastructure

- Population growth and new development will increase energy demands

Existing Projects and Previous Work:

- Ecoinnovation District

- District Energy Pittsburgh

- People’s Gas Methane Mapping Project

- Duquesne Light Woods Run Microgrid

- NRG Fuel Cell Energy Champions

- University of Pittsburgh

- Carnegie Mellon University

- National Energy Technology Laboratory

- Green Building Alliance

- People’s Gas

- Duquesne Light Company

- Sustainable Pittsburgh

CHAPTER TWO: Energy Generation & Distribution

Chart 4: 2013 Weather Normalized-Pittsburgh Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Sources

Table 2: Electricity Generation within Duquesne Light Company Service Territory

Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Energy Use

Emissions from the built environment dominate Pittsburgh’s emission with 99% of emissions coming from energy use. These emissions come from the use of electricity, natural gas, and transportation energy use.

Pittsburgh Electricity Pittsburgh is served by Duquesne Light Company (DLC), which is an investor-owned electricity distribution company. Duquesne Light does not generate electricity, and Pittsburgh does not have a municipal utility. Within the Duquesne Light service territory, nearly 70% of electrical generation is nuclear or hydroelectric, but given greenhouse gas inventory protocols, Pittsburgh calculates its emissions from electricity using the EPA eGRID emission factors for RFC-West (RFC-W), which includes coal generation in West Virginia, Ohio and Indiana.

Generators within the Duquesne Light Company Service Territory 16

Generator Generation Type Output (MW) Percent (%)

Beaver Valley Nuclear 1831 69.46

Brunot Island Natural Gas (Peaker) 220 8.34

Cheswick Coal 578 21.93

Patterson Hydroelectric 2 0.27

Townsend Hydroelectric 5

Total MW 2636

16https://www.netl.doe.gov/sites/default/files/netl-file/City-of-Pittsburgh-Energy-Baseline-20171103-FINAL_0.pdf

EPA eGRID Emission Factors Year 2004 and Year 2012 Comparison17

EPA eGRID Y2004 RFC-W EPA eGRID Y2012 RFC-W

CO2 lbs/MWh 1,556.39 1,379.48

CH4 lbs/GWh 20.00 17.11

N2O lbs/GWh 24.00 21.67

Table 3: EPA eGRID Emission Factors

Over the years, the grid has gotten inherently ‘cleaner’ resulting in an overall reduction in electricity -related emissions. However, bold action is needed in order to deeply decarbonize the electric grid and recognize necessary emission reductions.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Transmission Loss & Inefficiency As shown in the Sankey Diagram, significant amounts of energy is wasted due to inefficiencies in production and delivery of energy and electricity. Nearly 41% of the energy in the Power of 32 Region (32 counties in southwestern Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, western Maryland and northern West Virginia) is ‘wasted’. This is largely due to waste heat in the energy generation process, especially in the conversion of coal to electricity.

Chart 5: Regional Energy Flow Analysis for Power of 32 Region 18

17 https://www.epa.gov/energy/emissions-generation-resource-integrated-database-egrid 18 https://powerof32.org https://www.epa.gov/energy/emissions-generation-resource-integrated-database-egrid

Objective: Reduce line loss by 50% by 2030

Line Replacement and Methane Mapping Project An essential first step in reducing energy emissions is to reduce wasted energy. Due to a lack of data, Pittsburgh’s previous inventories have accounted for emissions related to natural gas leaks, electricity transmission loss, and energy that is lost while being used to treat water. However, recent studies show that transmission loss of electricity and natural gas accounts for approximately 9% of the region’s energy consumption. These transmission-loss emissions comprise 3% of Pittsburgh’s community emissions profile. Duquesne Light Company and People’s Gas are taking the initiative by enacting multi-year infrastructure upgrades and grid modernization projects in order to improve the efficiency of delivery systems and reduce these losses.

Infrastructure upgrades for People’s Gas include replacing miles of aging pipe used to deliver natural gas. Working with Google Earth Outreach, Carnegie Mellon University and the Environmental Defense Fund, People’s Gas is improving the tracking of methane leaks throughout their infrastructure in order to target specific locations for line replacement and infrastructure improvement projects.

For this project, Google Map vehicles equipped with sensors to effectively and efficiently detect methane leaks created a map of leaks throughout the Pittsburgh area. There were 201 leaks identified during the study period, many in the 50% of natural gas pipes that are more than 50 years old. These leaks do not typically have immediate risk implications, but can have a serious impact on climate.

Since natural gas has a warming potential more than 80 times greater than carbon dioxide, reducing leaks from these pipes can produce major greenhouse gas reduction.

The methane mapping pilot was one step in a larger, 20-year pipeline replacement plan. Over the next 20 years, People’s Gas will invest $100 million a year in infrastructure upgrades with 60% of that capital to be focused within the City of Pittsburgh. 19 Throughout this process, People’s is also working with Carnegie Mellon University to create a risk ranking of pipe infrastructure. These rankings take into account pipe age, material, and leak history in order to prioritize areas for upgrade. As a result of these investments, People’s will be able to significantly impact and reduce Pittsburgh’s overall emissions inventory.

Objective: Modernize Energy Systems

In order to reach the 2030 Goals, Pittsburgh needs to (1) reduce energy demand, (2) create efficiency district energy systems, (3) decarbonize the electric grid, and (4) convert systems from combustion to electrification. (Demand reductions are addressed in Chapter 3, Buildings and End Use Efficiency. More information on

Electrification can be found in Chapter 3, Buildings and End Use Efficiency and Chapter 4, Transportation and Land Use. )

Decarbonize the electric grid In order to decarbonize the electric grid, Pittsburgh needs to install more local renewable electricity generation systems, eliminate dependence on coal powered electricity, and protect existing zero carbon nuclear power. Action such as converting coal fired power plants to natural gas and protecting the

19 https://www.edf.org/media/edf-google-use-special-street-view-cars-map-and-measure-leaks-pittsburgh-natural-gas-system nuclear facilities which provide 60% of Pittsburgh’s electricity without producing carbon emissions are important components of any plan to decarbonize the electric grid.

Western Pennsylvania Energy Consortium The City of Pittsburgh manages the Western Pennsylvania Energy Consortium (WPEC), a group of 30 local government entities and universities who use reverse auctions to purchase electricity at a lower cost. WPEC acquired 10% non-certified REC in the first auction in 2008, and has increased that percentage by 5% each auction, and currently purchase 35% non-local non certified renewable electricity. The City of Pittsburgh has committed to using 100% renewable electricity to meet its operational loads by 2030 through both city-owned generation and purchase power agreements that install more renewable electricity production locally. In collaboration with the other members of the WPEC, the City of Pittsburgh will design options that allow members to transition to 100% local renewable electricity purchase, acknowledging that some existing members already reach or aspire toward these goals via multiple means.

Local Renewable Electricity In order to fully realize the benefits of renewable electricity, a focus on local generation is needed.

Generation of renewable electricity in southwestern Pennsylvania can provide a multitude of benefits.

Increased availability of local renewable electricity will connect large power consumers with local providers. Deployment of local renewable electricity will spur economic growth, create employment opportunities, and enhance residents’ well-being while improving Pittsburgh’s economic competitiveness. As Pittsburgh looks to transition to clean electricity sources, the goal is to install 200MW of new, local renewable electricity. Local generation of renewable electricity in southwestern Pennsylvania will provide a myriad of economic, resiliency, and air quality benefits in addition to reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

District Energy Municipalities across the nation face issues with deteriorating energy infrastructure. It has been shown that up to 60% of the energy that moves along aging gas and electric lines can be lost during transmission.20 The City of Pittsburgh, in partnership with the Department of Energy, the National Energy…