WEST LAFAYETTE, IN — West Lafayette’s city council unanimously passed a resolution Monday night committing to regular reporting of greenhouse gas emissions for city operations.
This next step in the city’s Greater Lafayette Climate Action Plan, passed in January 2023 as a cooperative between West Lafayette, Lafayette and Tippecanoe County, comes in response to community members’ request for more clarity in existing emissions reporting.
The city aims to have a dashboard or accessible platform tracking the project’s progress — to reduce its emissions by 58% by 2030 — online by 2027.
The City Wastewater Treatment Utility will also compile and present reports on emissions and progress in July of each year, with an additional update memo in January from the city resiliency officer.
Council member Iris O’Donnell Bellisario reiterated that the project mitigates emissions from only city-owned operations, such as the police department, wastewater treatment facility, and city hall, not the city as a whole.
The report will review the status of a city-owned rooftop solar project referenced in the climate action plan. Councillors also mentioned the possibility of adding broader metrics in the future, including the measurement of citizen solar and electric vehicle charging.
Purdue has not signed onto the Greater Lafayette Climate Action Plan, and council members expressed a desire to re-extend the invitation.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: West Lafayette vows to create climate dashboard for city emissions by 2027
Reporting by Meagan Hipsky, Lafayette Journal & Courier / Lafayette Journal & Courier
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