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community. He said it would be interesting to take the groundwater contamination maps and <br /> overlay basic census data on whether these contaminated areas are concentrated in low <br /> wealth areas. <br /> Commissioner porosin said this is a strong committee, and they provide a real resource <br /> to help the Board put together the different priorities of the County. He said he would like to <br /> look at these issues through the lenses of equity and social justice. He said one of the <br /> elements that is not on list is the fact that transportation hubs should be in and around <br /> communities that have affordable housing. He said it is also important to look at whether <br /> conservation land is distributed equitably throughout the County so that everyone has <br /> reasonable access to enjoy these areas. <br /> Jan Sassaman said these are good comments. He said one of the benefits of this <br /> report is that it is electronic, and it can be updated as needed. <br /> Commissioner Price said this is a great report, and she recognized Commissioner <br /> Gordon for her contribution. <br /> Commissioner Gordon said the CfE should be a part of the bond discussion and should <br /> lend their support to the Lands Legacy program. <br /> 2. Oranqe County Environmental Summit - October 11 (Attachment 2) <br /> This discussion was combined with item 1 above. <br /> 3. Incentives for Enerqy Efficient Construction and Renovation (Attachment 3) <br /> David Neal said this was a proposal that came up in 2012 and was brought to the <br /> Board of Commissioners and the Planning Board. He said this was dropped at the Planning <br /> Board level. He said this is allowed by N.C. statute. <br /> David Neal reviewed the following information from the abstract: <br /> The Orange County Commission for the Environment ("CFE") invited the Orange County <br /> Planning Board to consider a Low Energy Construction Permitting Incentive ordinance in 2012. <br /> N. C. Gen. Stat.§ 153A-340 allows counties to charge "reduced building permit fees or provide <br /> partial rebates of building permit fees for buildings" that meet or exceed recognized energy <br /> efficient design and construction principals. Members of CFE are available to work with the <br /> Planning Board and county staff to review similar ordinances enacted pursuant to this statute <br /> (for example, from Catawba County) and from around the country, then to draft an ordinance <br /> for consideration by the Orange County Board of Commissioners. <br /> Neither the current level of carbon in the atmosphere nor projected increases in greenhouse <br /> gas emissions are sustainable. Costly and potentially irreversible adverse climate effects are <br /> likely unless mitigation measures — such as increased energy efficiency investments and <br /> decreased fossil fuel consumption — are taken in the near future. In Orange County, we cannot <br /> wait for policy changes at the state and federal level to encourage increased energy efficiency. <br /> Steps taken now to improve efficiency and decrease or eliminate our reliance on fossil fuels for <br /> energy production will help lock-in reduced energy use for years to come. <br /> Since 2003, Orange County has been a member of Local Governments for Sustainability, an <br /> international membership association committed to a sustainable future. Creating incentives <br /> for energy efficiency in construction is consistent with Orange County's commitment to a <br /> sustainable future. The 2005 Greenhouse Gas Inventory revealed that nearly fifty percent of <br /> greenhouse gas emissions in Orange County come from residential and commercial buildings <br /> (consistent with national data1). Orange County, Chapel Hill, and Carrboro, in conjunction with <br />