Marin grand jury calls for new climate agency

Marin County needs to create a new department or agency to lead climate initiatives across every city and town to drive down carbon emissions, according to a new report.

The leading causes of greenhouse gas emissions in Marin are gas-fueled vehicles, accounting for more than 50%, and burning gas for heating and cooking, at 27%, according to the Marin County Civil Grand Jury report.

“Marin has made important strides to reduce GHG emissions in some sectors. However, Marin is not on track to meet the 2030 goal,” the report says. “Why? Largely because residents of Marin need to change their behavior. To reach the goal, we must significantly reduce burning fossil fuels in vehicles, homes, and buildings.”

To address the climate crisis, the county created the Marin Climate and Energy Partnership in 2007. The MCEP is comprised of the county, its 11 municipalities and three other public agencies.

The MCEP has played a leading role in creating strategies for electric vehicle adoption and electrification in Marin’s homes and buildings. The group also tracks emissions inventories for each agency.

Each member agency enacted climate plans that share a common goal of reducing emissions to a level 40% below 1990 levels by 2030, the report says.

According to the 2024 inventory, Marin’s countywide greenhouse gas emissions were reduced 18% below 1990 levels. To achieve its 2030 goal, the county needs to decrease emissions another 22%, the report says.

The report says efforts to reduce how many cars are on the road and the distances they travel has had only marginal gains, but efforts to switch residents from using gas-powered cars to zero-emission vehicles has been more successful.

Changing from gas-powered appliances to electric ones has proven difficult, the report says. For one thing, more than 70% of the county’s residences are single-family homes and 94% were built before 1980. That means most will need to go through all-electric upgrades costing $3,000 to $25,000, the report says.

Another challenge is the federal administration. The Trump administration has announced plans to pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement and has reversed climate policies. These actions can deliver a blow to California’s policies on air and water quality standards, electric vehicle initiatives and efforts to curb emissions, the report says.

The county-sponsored partnership only has one paid staffer and a third-party consultant, which needs to be addressed, the report says.

“A larger, dedicated team of experienced people should enhance Marin’s chances of reaching the 2030 goal,” the report says.

“We appreciate that the Grand Jury recognized the work and successes that have been accomplished to date,” Dana Armanino, the county’s sustainability planning manager, said in an email.

The partnership has helped achieve emissions reductions, Armanino said. She agreed that “it will take all of Marin’s agencies, businesses, community members coming together to make significant changes if we are to achieve our goals.”

The grand jury recommends that the new department or agency to lead the climate initiatives is formed by the end of the year. The grand jury recommends that the new climate team present a plan to achieve the 2030 goal for the entire county by April 2026.

The panel also recommends that the county Board of Supervisors publish an annual greenhouse gas inventory with the most up-to-date data on the county’s website starting July 2026.

County Executive Derek Johnson said staff is preparing a comprehensive response to the grand jury report.

Johnson said next month the county executive office plans to recommend that the Board of Supervisors approve a budget investment in a new leadership team and structure “designed to bring both urgency and action to the implementation of our climate action plan.”

“We have been actively working to align our leadership structure with the realities our residents face,” said Johnson, adding that climate change “requires dedicated leadership, sustained resources, and a laser-sharp focus on measurable outcomes.”

“Marin residents are counting on us — not just for plans, but for results and we are up to the task,” Johnson said.

More will be presented in May, he said.

Bill Carney, a board member of environmental groups such as the Marin Climate Action Network, said the grand jury got it right, and Marin needs to “scale up its funding to reduce the causes of climate change.”

“The report is right that the main way to reduce greenhouse gas pollution is to simply stop burning fossil fuels in our cars and buildings by switching to electric whenever an old car or furnace needs replacement,” Carney said. “For that to happen systemwide, local government needs to set the rules, educate people, and offer incentives to narrow any cost gaps.”

Carney said the grand jury points to the dismemberment of federal climate programs as the main challenge to meeting Marin’s goals.

“That’s all the more reason for amping up local funding and coordination of climate action,” Carney said.

The grand jury report — titled “Can Marin Achieve Its Climate Action Goal By 2030?” — is online at bit.ly/3EwPXjg.