ABOUT

In order to meet the County's goal of achieving a net negative carbon footprint by 2030, Yolo County staff and the Yolo County Climate Action Commission (YCCAC) knew it was critical to begin tackling our emissions prior to completing our Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) update.

From September 2021 to January 2022, Yolo County staff and the YCCAC sought applications from the public for early action projects that could further Yolo County's climate action and sustainability initiatives and support the goals in the Emergency Climate Resolution. The effort focused on short-term actions Yolo County can undertake to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and sequester carbon prior to development of the updated Climate Action and Adaptation Plan.

In January 2022, the YCCAC approved early action eligibility and prioritization criteria, which Yolo County staff used to recommend rankings of 21 early action proposals received by the YCCAC. County staff used the approved prioritization criteria to recommend seven early action proposals received by the YCCAC, six of which staff ultimately decided to recommend to the Board of Supervisors (click here to read the Board of Supervisors Staff Report). The first six early action project concepts were unanimously approved by the Yolo County Board of Supervisors on June 7, 2022. Staff then developed the Yolo County 2022–2025 Climate Early Action Grant Strategy to match grant opportunities to five of the early action projects.

To learn more about each Early Action Project, view each project description below.

MORE ABOUT THE EARLY ACTION PROJECTS

Carbon Farming Partnership Project

The Center for Land-Based Learning will undertake a two-year project with partners including the Yolo Resource Conservation District, the Yolo Land Trust, and the Carbon Cycle Institute to rapidly increase the scale of carbon farm planning in Yolo County, including completing three model carbon farm plans and educating growers about the climate and soil health benefits of proven conservation practices, including the Conservation Reserve Program, over the next two years. Carbon farming involves implementing practices known to improve the rate at which CO2 is removed from the atmosphere and converted to plant material and/or soil organic matter. In addition to training growers in carbon farming principles, the Center will integrate direct feedback from experienced growers, as well as new farmers who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color, into the County's new Climate Action Plan process, ensuring the new plan has buy-in from the agricultural community.

Click here to read more about the Carbon Farming Partnership Project.

Electrification Retrofit Rebate Outreach Project

In partnership with Valley Clean Energy, this project will create a program to provide information on electric retrofits and natural gas appliance replacement rebates to existing residential homes, as well as create a comprehensive outreach program to encourage low income households in unincorporated Yolo County to access a new $1 billion state rebate program proposed in the 2022-23 state budget. Energy efficiency and electric retrofits will lower energy bills, create local jobs, and improve indoor air quality and health-related issues by eliminating natural gas combustion in homes.

Click here to read more about the Electrification Retrofit Rebate Outreach Project.

100% Renewable Electricity Accounts

This project will enroll all Yolo County municipal electric accounts not covered by existing County solar/renewable projects into Ultra Green via Valley Clean Energy (VCE) or the similar Pacific Gas & Electric Company program. Yolo County will explore funding options for this action, which may include ARP funds, Department funds, or a combination of these. On July 26, 2022, the Yolo County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to upgrade to Valley Clean Energy’s 100% renewable, 100% carbon-free UltraGreen service.

Click here to read more about the 100% Renewable Electricity Accounts Project.

Home Energy Labeling Project

This project will create a mandatory home energy labeling program for homes listed for sale in the unincorporated area based on the federal Home Energy Score Program. Developed by the U.S. Department of Energy, Home Energy Score is a program that assesses a home's energy use and provides a score on a one-to-ten scale. The score motivates homeowners, buyers, and sellers to improve the home's energy efficiency and increase the score. The County could provide toolkits, checklists, and recommendations to homeowners to increase their efficiency, including a list of Pacific Gas & Electric Company rebates and incentives. The project will also evaluate options to subsidize the cost of home energy assessments for low-income households. Implementation of this program will require passage of an Ordinance to require home energy labeling in the unincorporated area.

Click here to read more about the Home Energy Labeling Project.

Inventory and Feasibility Study to Remove Fossil Fuels From County Operations

Yolo County will develop an inventory of all fossil fuels used in Yolo County operations and then assess the feasibility of removing these fossil fuels from use. Yolo County uses of fossil fuels include, but are not limited to, natural gas-powered hot water heaters, furnaces, and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and gasoline-powered landscaping equipment. The inventory component of this project will include an analysis of current fossil fuel uses in County operations (including age and expected lifespan of fossil fuel-powered equipment) along with the existing electrical system capacity and the total energy requirements (assuming full-electrification) of County buildings. The feasibility study will include an evaluation of building readiness to electrify (for example, if buildings have excess capacity built into their electrical infrastructure to electrify all operations and/or install electric vehicle charging stations, or if amperage and/or voltage will need to be upgraded), priorities for electrification, cost estimates, a proposed process for measuring greenhouse gas emission reduction, potential funding sources, and a proposed timeline. This project also includes reviewing and updating, as necessary, existing policies that encourage employees to work at least part-time from home and reduce vehicle miles traveled.

Click here to read more about the Inventory and Feasibility Study to Remove Fossil Fuels From County Operations Project.

Zero Emission Vehicle Master Plan

The County plans to develop a Zero Emission Vehicle Master Plan (“ZEV Master Plan”). For this project, the term ZEVs includes battery electric vehicles and fuel cell electric vehicles. At a minimum, the ZEV Master Plan will include the following components: 1) an analysis of existing conditions of the charging/fueling network, an evaluation of consistency with other regional ZEV master plans, and recommendations for siting additional charging stations, including establishment of priorities which consider a focus on light, medium and heavy duty vehicles and areas where ZEV infrastructure would result in the greatest reduction of greenhouse gas emissions; 2) an inventory of the existing County fleet ZEV needs and a timeline for transitioning the fleet to ZEV; 3) a community outreach strategy developed in partnership with community based organizations that would include, at a minimum, an analysis of existing survey results regarding opportunities to encourage households to purchase ZEVs or use ZEV mobility services, additional surveys to fill in knowledge gaps, development of a communications plan to advertise ZEV incentives, grants and rebates, and identification of implementation strategies to encourage ZEV infrastructure and adoption; and 4) recommendations for establishing ZEV mobility services (including electric bikes) for residents and businesses in the unincorporated area to enable residents, particularly farmworkers and rural residents, to use clean-mobility options to meet their travel demands.

Click here to read more about the Zero Emission Vehicle Master Plan Project.

Agricultural Equipment Replacement Program

The AER project creates an electric Utility Task Vehicle (UTV) replacement program for Yolo County farmers, prioritizing American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding to socially disadvantaged farmers/ranches and projects with the greatest GHG emission reduction impact. The Board approved an allocation of $130,000 in ARP funds for UTV replacements, making possible the funding of 10-15 replacement projects depending on the selected applicants’ choice of electric UTV (eUTV) model. This project will be a partnership between Yolo County and YSAQMD, with YSAQMD administering the program utilizing the Funding Agricultural Replacement Measures for Emissions Reductions (FARMER) program as a resource, providing detailed calculations to the Commission on GHG reductions, and coordinating outreach efforts with the Yolo County Farm Bureau and other organizations. In June 2023, YSAQMD received approval from the District Board to work with Yolo County and the Commission on the implementation of this project.

Click here to learn more about the Yolo County Agricultural Equipment Replacement Program.