White Salmon City Council to Vote on Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Plan
White Salmon, Wash., April 29, 2025 — The White Salmon City Council is scheduled to vote Wednesday, April 30 on adopting the city's finalized Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Plan, which outlines targeted strategies to cut emissions and build long-term sustainability.
The meeting starts at 6 p.m.
Ideas range from electric vehicle usage to near net-zero construction, where buildings produce almost as much energy as they consume.
The updated plan includes a range of short- and long-term priorities, including seeking grant funding to expand staff capacity and support implementation. Councilmember Ransier and city staff have worked together over the past month to revise the draft, following a March workshop that drew council feedback.
Among the plan’s top recommendations:
Governance: Increase staffing through grant funding to support effective execution and oversight of climate initiatives.
City Facilities: Apply net zero or near net zero construction and renovation standards to city buildings, emphasizing energy efficiency, sustainable landscaping, and responsible development.
Housing: Incentivize affordable housing aligned with green standards, such as LEED Silver or EPA Energy Star Certification, and include EV-charging readiness in all new large-scale residential development.
Transportation: Implement a Transportation Impact Fee on new construction to support multi-modal transit, and explore an electric-vehicle-first policy for city fleets.
Water: Prioritize leak detection and water system upgrades, including replacing outdated lines and installing a meter-reading base at City Hall to identify water waste more quickly.
There is no immediate cost to adopt the plan, but full implementation could cost between $300,000 and $500,000. The city expects to pursue outside grant funding to help cover those expenses.
Council members may vote to adopt the plan as presented, request further changes, or take alternative action. If approved, next steps would likely be considered during budget planning or by relevant city committees.
City staff recommend adoption of the plan at Tuesday’s meeting.
