FREDERICK, Md. – People, businesses, and organizations are invited to provide input on climate change impacts and help set climate priorities for our community. Frederick County Government and the City of Frederick are working together to create the first Community-Wide Climate and Energy Action Plan (CEAP). This plan seeks to address the challenges of the climate crisis in our region and includes an in-depth assessment of community needs.
“As the federal government reduces its climate efforts, it is more important than ever for local governments to take action and ensure our communities are prepared to meet environmental challenges. We appreciate the City of Frederick’s partnership in this important work,” said County Executive Jessica Fitzwater. “Together, we are determined to meet our goals and are excited to hear from the public as we advance environmental initiatives.”
The CEAP will assess how climate change could affect Frederick’s infrastructure, natural resources, community members, and health. It will also provide recommendations to address these impacts. Public engagement will complement scientific data supporting the plan.
“The CEAP is data driven, but also and more importantly it is people driven,” says City of Frederick Mayor Michael O’Connor. “It’s a collaborative effort on all fronts, between the City, County, and our community.”
A primary goal of the CEAP outreach is to understand the public’s observations of problems such as extreme heat, droughts, severe storms, flooded roads, poor air quality, high energy costs, and other climate-related issues. The aim is to incorporate a wide range of diverse perspectives and ideas so that the CEAP meets the needs of the community.
A series of Climate Workshops will share information and gather public input to help develop the plan. Dates and details for these events can be viewed at www.FrederickCountyMD.gov/ClimateAction. Members of the public are also encouraged to participate in the process online by taking the Community Climate Survey and exploring the newly available Flood Mapping Tool on the County’s website.
This project is built on existing local sustainability initiatives and is intended to accelerate progress and create new climate action priorities. In 2020, a joint City and County Climate Emergency Resolution was adopted to cut greenhouse gas emissions to half of 2010 levels by 2030 and reduce levels 100% by 2050. A volunteer Climate Emergency Mobilization Workgroup was formed to guide the efforts. This group invested more than 18,500 hours to produce the Climate Response and Resilience Report, which includes recommendations to help the County and City meet their climate and greenhouse gas reduction goals.