Orange County NC Website
10 <br /> Vice-Chair McKee thanked Forrest Westall for his comments on agriculture meeting its <br /> obligations. He said the agriculture community was very concerned when the regulations first <br /> came about. He said going forward, we must acknowledge that sometimes the numbers don't <br /> quite make sense. He said the idea in the agriculture community now is that it is working and <br /> there is less concern about unintended consequences. <br /> Commissioner Greene thanked Forrest Westall for the presentation. She said it was her <br /> good fortune to see the culmination of this work and appreciated how long it took and the creativity <br /> required. She said the NC Collaborative helped a lot as well. She said the approach is congruent <br /> with Orange County's plans and is nice to see how the interests dovetail. <br /> Commissioner Fowler said it was interesting to see that despite not meeting chlorophyll <br /> goals, the lake was still meeting the needs for recreation and water quality in general. She said <br /> she agrees it aligns with UDO and the county's goals in general. <br /> Commissioner Greene said she remembers hearing once that Durham County would have <br /> to erase all of downtown Durham in order to meet the regulations as previously mentioned. <br /> Forrest Westall said modeling shows even if everyone left the watershed and trees grew <br /> over, it still would not meet the requirements. He said they were really dealing with something that <br /> was impossible to achieve. <br /> Chair Bedford said she appreciates the big picture/systems approach. She said this wants <br /> this to be shared with the legislative delegates at the Legislative Breakfast. She said this sounds <br /> like a great start. <br /> Commissioner Hamilton thanked Forrest Westall for the report. She said it is timely to hear <br /> this tonight along with the Climate Action Plan and as they are in the Comprehensive Planning <br /> process. <br /> A motion was made by Commissioner Greene, seconded by Vice-Chair McKee, to <br /> approve and authorize the Chair to sign the attached Resolution endorsing the UNRBA <br /> Consensus Principles II for Revised Falls Lake Rules and authorize the County's representative <br /> at UNRBA to indicate Orange County's support at the upcoming UNRBA Board of Directors <br /> meeting on November 15, 2023. <br /> VOTE: UNANIMOUS <br /> Vice-Chair McKee said the recreation opportunities available in the watershed should <br /> really be emphasized. <br /> 5. Public Hearings <br /> None. <br /> 6. Regular Agenda <br /> a. Orange County Climate Action Plan and Greenhouse Gas Inventory — Final Report <br /> The Board received the final Climate Action Plan (CAP) containing the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) <br /> inventory report from Bluestrike Environmental Consulting and approve the Climate Action Plan. <br /> BACKGROUND: The next few years are critical in limiting global temperature to a 1.50 C <br /> increase and mitigating the most severe impacts of climate change. To do so, global emissions <br /> need to be halved by 2030, and net zero emissions must be achieved by 2050. Investments now <br /> will reduce long-term operation costs, reduce recovery costs from climate-related disasters, and <br /> promote growth in local jobs and the economy. The climate action plan addresses the specific <br /> strategies that will help the County meet the climate change mitigation goals set by the Board in <br /> recent years including: <br />