Peace River Regional Energy and Emissions Project

The Peace River Regional District (PRRD) will develop corporate and community energy plans to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, coordinate climate change initiatives across the district, meet provincial requirements for climate action and complete the first three milestones of the Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) program. Phase one of the project (now complete) created inventories and identified actions and strategies for emissions reduction at the corporate (operations) level. Phase two (the focus for this application) is now underway. For this phase, the project team will define the current local context by gathering baseline information on community energy consumption and GHG emissions. The team will then forecast projected energy consumption and GHG emissions in a “business as usual” scenario. Through staff discussions, input from key stakeholders, public consultation and research, the team will establish goals and numerical targets for energy use and GHG emissions in the short, medium and long term. Strategies, actions and potential funding sources will also be identified. To facilitate stakeholder and public consultation, the region will develop and distribute an educational brochure and survey. The project team will interview key stakeholders across the region and in various sectors. The region will hold five community consultation meetings that are open to the public. A website will provide information on the planning process and an additional opportunity to give input. Other activities may include a regional stakeholder workshop to build partnerships for implementation, and learning sessions to increase awareness among elected officials and senior staff.

(Project description from original funding application)