Bellefonte has suspended its Climate Action Plan. What’s next for sustainability efforts?
A climate action plan put in place three years ago has been suspended in Bellefonte, leaving the future unclear for the borough’s sustainability efforts.
After much discussion and a handful of public comments in support of the plan and advisory board, the council voted 5-4 on Aug. 21 to suspend all borough related activity on the Climate Action Plan and the borough’s Environmental Advisory Board.
Council members Randy Brachbill, Doug Johnson, Kent Bernier, Rita Purnell and Barbara Dann voted in favor of suspending the activity; Deborah Cleeton, Joanne Tosti-Vasey, Johanna Sedgwick and Shawna McKean were opposed.
The Climate Action Plan was adopted by the council in 2020 and outlines local actions and policies to reduce Bellefonte’s greenhouse gas emissions.
The borough began working on the plan in 2019 and it was made possible through a grant agreement between the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives - Local Governments for Sustainability and the PA Department of Environmental Protection, which was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy State Energy Program.
The plan states, “This Climate Action Plan takes advantage of common sense approaches and cutting-edge policies that our local government is uniquely positioned to implement — actions that can reduce energy use and waste, create local jobs, improve air quality, preserve our local landscape and history, reduce risk to people and property, and in many other ways benefit Bellefonte for years to come.”
What’s in the Climate Action Plan?
For Dann, having educational workshops on sustainable and environmental topics, like rainwater collection and pollinator gardens, is a good idea. But she and other council members felt the Climate Action Plan read as a mandate.
“I feel like the borough staff and council have spent way too much time, attention and money on this plan. I think we have other things that we should be paying more attention to,” Dann said. “...I have talked to many of the residents and almost all of them that have talked to me are upset with this plan. It really lays out as a ‘You must do this. You must do that.’ And anyone I’ve talked to does not want that.”
But others on the council stressed that the plan is not a “mandate,” rather it includes goals and suggestions for residents to take. The plan itself states that the borough established many “targets to maintain a vibrant, healthy, and safe community” and data will be collected and measured to see if the goals are met by the suggested year.
More than 35 goals were outlined in the plan, including:
- Installing solar energy on municipal buildings so 50% of energy is renewably sourced by 2025
- Doubling the amount of bike racks in the commercial district from 2020 values by 2025
- Create a community garden in an underutilized area by 2025
- Having 20% of Bellefonte’s commuters carpooling by 2035
- Establish an emergency cooling center located within a 10-minute walk for the most vulnerable residents by 2035
- Having three police cars and 25% of the public works vehicle be electric vehicles by 2035
- 25% of parking spaces with EV charging by 2050
- 80% of Bellefonte’s electricity mix renewable by 2050
Brachbill said he was “bothered” by some of the dates set for the goals.
“If Bellefonte has to spend money to do anything in this Climate Action Plan, then it’s either going to have to raise taxes, or find another way to find money to do those jobs. That’s my main concern. I don’t want Bellefonte to suffer, spending money that we can’t afford to spend,” Brachbill said.
While McKean agreed that some goals are ambitious for their small borough, she said climate change is a problem that needs to be addressed.
In advocating for the borough to stay committed to the Climate Action Plan, Cleeton said there are many ways to address issues without spending a lot of money — on a personal level or at the government level.
“My real concern is that we live in a false paradise. We live in an area that has not experienced an extreme weather event. We have some sticky, hot days. We have some cold days in the winter. But we have never had a catastrophic event that wipes out the town, wipes out every corn field around us or causes us to really suffer the way so many people in the world are now,” Cleeton said.
What’s Next?
The advisory board surveyed more than 200 residents and business owners in the borough, and more than half said it was important for individuals and local governments to address sustainability issues, Tosti-Vasey said. In addition to the survey, the borough has completed 10 sustainability programs or projects and completed eight workshops to provide educational information on different areas of sustainability.
Tosti-Vasey also cautioned that by rescinding the plan, the borough may not be eligible for future grants. Therefore, there could be a lack of funding for many programs and projects that the state could have otherwise covered.
Just because the council voted to suspend the plan and advisory board doesn’t mean the organization can’t still function outside of the borough, Johnson, the council president, said. It can still exist, he said, it just wouldn’t be supported by the borough.
Brachbill later added that the council can come back to these items and set it up in a different way.
Although the council appeared to be in support of education programs and workshops related to sustainability, Tosti-Vasey said with the vote to suspend “all borough related activity” on the plan and advisory board, there is no one to plan such events.
Unless the council takes action at a future meeting to say otherwise, she said upcoming education programs, like a Sept. 16 event to learn more about the plan, and an Oct. 7 community composting program are canceled.
