Howard County's Office of Community Sustainability reported progress on its Climate Forward plan and outlined targets and next steps for decarbonizing buildings and transportation, while the administration said it will present building-code proposals related to electrification by June.

Tim Latimer, administrator for the Office of Community Sustainability, told the council that the county has reduced community-wide greenhouse gas emissions 23% from a 2005 baseline as of the most recent data year (2022) and reiterated county targets of a 60% reduction by 2030 and net-zero by 2045. "2024 was the hottest year ever recorded in human history," Latimer said, stressing the urgency of local mitigation and resilience efforts.

Latimer said transportation is the county's largest emissions source (more than half of community emissions), followed by the building sector (about 42%). To address those sectors, the county is pursuing multiple strategies: expanding solar and battery capacity, installing publicly available EV chargers, accelerating building electrification, expanding curbside food-scrap collection, and increasing tree canopy and nature-based solutions.

Key items Latimer reported:

- Solar and clean energy: Howard County currently hosts about 134 megawatts (MW) of solar generation and has a county solar power purchase agreement that the administration said is roughly 95% complete; the county's solar goal is 437 MW by 2030 and about 1,100 MW by 2045.

- Electric vehicles: The county reported about 106 publicly available EV chargers and an EV ownership rate of roughly 4.8% as of November; the county has doubled EVs in its fleet but council members urged more aggressive EV purchasing for county fleet vehicles.

- Waste and nature-based actions: Howard County operates a curbside food-scrap collection program it plans to expand to countywide coverage by 2030; the county reported over 130 acres of registered pollinator habitat (exceeding a 2025 goal) and about 86,000 trees planted since 2019. Latimer said a new partnership with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources will add about 45,000 trees on about 100 acres in the coming spring.

Latimer also highlighted programs aimed at low-income residents, such as a Climate Forward Homes Initiative in partnership with the Community Action Council to support weatherization and electrification of heating systems for eligible households.

After Latimer's presentation, staff from the county's building-code and planning offices summarized a review of options for building electrification and energy-code updates. A primary administrative milestone raised at the meeting: "No later than June," said a staff presenter identified in the transcript as Mr. Francis, when asked for timing, meaning the administration expects to deliver draft legislation or code changes in the spring for council consideration. Francis told the council the administration is reviewing the 2024 editions of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and the International Green Construction Code (IGCC) and will balance code language, enforcement questions, and stakeholder engagement before making recommendations.

Council members and outside speakers also discussed the evolving legal landscape. Erin Sherman, who told the council she is following litigation nationally, noted that a 9th Circuit ruling on a municipal gas restriction has led jurisdictions and counsel to examine federal preemption issues. "There was a very atypical ' according to prior interpretation of federal law ' decision made in the 9th Circuit," Sherman said, and urged a combined approach that includes strong efficiency-based provisions to help jurisdictions withstand legal challenge while advancing electrification.

Council members asked about tree canopy and development decisions in specific neighborhoods and urged that redevelopment and future county approvals better protect mature trees and minimize impacts in the most vulnerable neighborhoods. Several members said they want stronger alignment between climate goals and land-use and permitting decisions.

Next steps announced at the meeting include administration delivery of a building-code/electrification proposal to the council by June, continued interdepartmental work on Climate Forward implementation, pursuit of federal and state grant opportunities (including BRIC and Inflation Reduction Act programs), and public outreach to support community adoption of clean-energy measures.

No formal vote was taken at the meeting on code language or new ordinances; the administration and council signaled plans for a public review process and hearings before any policy or code changes would be adopted.