Prince William County Seeks Input on Draft Community Energy and Sustainability Master Plan

In November 2020, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors adopted a set of Climate Mitigation and Resiliency Goals and authorized the Prince William County Office of Sustainability to develop a Community Energy and Sustainability Master Plan, or CESMP, to help meet those goals.

The Office of Sustainability has released a draft of the CESMP and is looking for public input on how the county can work to meet the Board’s Climate Mitigation and Resiliency Goals, which include: 

• Cutting greenhouse gas emission to 50 percent below 2005 levels by 2030
• Sourcing 100 percent of the county-wide electricity from renewable sources by 2035
• Achieving 100 percent renewable electricity in the county government operations by 2030
• Achieving 100 percent carbon neutrality in the county government operations by 2050
• Becoming a Climate Ready Region and making significant progress to be a Climate Resilient Region by 2030

“We are excited to release a draft of the CESMP for public input,” said Giulia Manno, the director of the county’s Office of Sustainability. “Being a community-wide action plan, the recommendations include actions that can be done by residents and businesses at home and at work to help meet our county’s Climate Mitigation and Resiliency Goals. We have received feedback from the Sustainability Commission and the community throughout the development process, and this is an opportunity to see how the plan has come together and provide input before it is finalized.”

The Office of Sustainability will also hold a virtual town hall-style meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 14, for people to provide input. Members of the community can register to attend the town hall and/or submit feedback on the draft CESMP on the county’s website at pwcva.gov/department/sustainability/community-energy-and-sustainability-master-plan.

“The CESMP will give the public an idea of what it’s going to take for the county to meet our goals, which are focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, using more renewable energy and helping the county become more adaptive to the effects of climate change,” Manno said. “In order to accomplish the goals, it will take the community working together. Therefore, it is critical to get input from others, and we welcome and appreciate the community’s feedback on the plan.”

To find out more about the CESMP, as well as other initiatives through the county’s Office of Sustainability, visit pwcva.gov/department/sustainability.