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Summary
As the Office of Mayor William Peduto closes out a week of environmental initiatives and Mayor Peduto's attendance at COP26, the Department of City Planning's Sustainability and Resilience Division has finalized the City Energy Strategy, Pittsburgh's first municipal energy plan. The strategy was developed to integrate the short- and long-term actions in the Climate Action Plan into the City's development review processes to help reach the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2030.
Over the next four years, the City Energy Strategy will integrate energy plans into planning and development review to evaluate energy systems decisions early in the planning process and improve long-term coordination between utilities, permit holders and developers. Planning for clean and renewable energy in developments leads to fewer emissions, more efficient buildings, healthier spaces for building occupants and annual cost-savings for building owners.
"We must act collectively and quickly to develop a sustainable city in order to support healthy and equitable communities, create jobs and produce opportunities for clean, renewable energy to help meet our climate action goals," said Mayor William Peduto. "The City Energy Strategy allows us to work together to integrate climate efficiencies and build a city that is livable and sustainable for all."
Among other things, the strategy recommends using climate mitigation incentives throughout the development process, such as expanding the Zoning Code's performance points system citywide. This system is currently in place for the EcoInnovation District and riverfront development and allows developers to earn points and benefits by meeting specified goals such as energy efficiency, generating electricity with on-site renewable energies, connecting to district energy, stormwater management and/or transit-oriented development in their planning. This approach allows developers to define and work towards their own goals while also contributing to the City's overall emissions reduction goals. Some of the other tools identified in the strategy include transparent utility consumption data, coordinated assets, and management structures such as a climate and energy committee.
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