Pitkin County assesses climate action plan progress

Pitkin County has begun to make strides toward its climate goals that the Board of County Commissioners agreed to in March. 

These goals, which are future-facing, include a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the county from 2019 levels by 2050. 

According to a Tuesday, Aug. 19, Pitkin County BOCC meeting, where Pitkin County staff presented progress toward the county’s climate goals, the county has thus far undertaken 13 specific actions outlined in the climate action plan.

Those actions include microgrid projects, electrification of a county vehicle fleet, zoning code updates to incentivize more efficient building, and others. 

“We are going to have a full implementation of the micro grid project over the fall,” said Michael Porter, climate action analyst at Pitkin County. “In the event of a power outage, that will be operational and can draw upon renewable energy from the battery. Then, looking ahead 2026 through 2030, we are transitioning our EV fleet.”

Some Pitkin County Open Space and Trails vehicles have already been transitioned.

Further electric vehicle replacements will happen on an as-needed basis, and there are not currently electric options for all of the county’s vehicles. Some heavy equipment is beginning to see electronic innovation, but things like the snowplows and heavy construction equipment do not have adequate electric alternatives. 

“We are piloting using an electric wheel loader that has been out at the airport and, at some point in the near future, is going to be shifted over to the solid waste center to test it,” said Porter. “We are monitoring those emerging technologies and want to support those alternatives when they can meet the heavy demands of the departments and services that would use them.”

Much of the progress made in 2025 is more forward-looking, meaning the reductions in emissions aren’t necessarily seen this year. 

For example, Porter said, zoning incentives that are meant to encourage more efficient building have already resulted in some building permit applications for all-electric, smaller homes. Emissions reductions from projects like those are likely to be counted in 2026 and beyond. 

Some of the audits the county is undertaking are meant to determine how resources can be best allocated to have the largest impact, something the county commissioners emphasized was important to them, particularly in reference to the Pitkin County landfill. 

“We’re walking around with a $3 million number to retrofit the existing landfill,” commented Commissioner Jeffrey Woodruff. “Is that the best use of money, or should we electrify three buildings in downtown Aspen?”

“While the biggest thing we can do is electrify every single building in the county, there’s so many steps to that, which starts with actually measuring which buildings are taking up the most energy and which are eligible for electrification,” responded Pitkin County Community Resiliency Manager Ashley Perl. “I think the landfill is akin to still being in that measuring stage.”

To see more from Pitkin County’s climate action report, visit pitkincounty.com/1560/Climate-Action.