A Routt County Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory update released this week shows an overall 6% decrease in emissions compared to previous inventory data collected five years earlier, with energy use in buildings, transportation and waste representing the three largest emissions sectors.

The study shows a five-year decrease across Routt County to 669,794 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in 2023 compared to approximately 713,392 metric tons in 2018. Improvements were largely due to greening of the electricity grid trends, or replacement of fossil fuel-generated electricity with renewable energy-generated electricity, according to a Routt County Climate Action Plan Collaborative news release.

“As Xcel and (Yampa Valley Electric Association) continue to make ground toward their goals of 80% renewable energy by 2030, the amount of emissions generated through electricity use will continue to decline,” according to the collaborative.

The 2023 greenhouse gas emissions inventory was completed as part of the Routt County Climate Action Plan accountability recommendation to update the inventory every five years to track progress and revise benchmarks as needed. The 21-page report is online at Routtclimateaction.com/resources.

“Since its adoption in 2021, the Routt County Climate Action Plan has played an instrumental role in guiding local governments on how to decrease our community’s emissions,” Collaborative Board Chair Gail Garey said. “We are proud of the steps we’ve taken so far, and recognize that there are important co-benefits to our community — like increased bike safety, more convenient public transportation options for commuters, cost savings through energy savings — but we also have a lot of work to do to meet emissions targets.”

The collaborative pointed to positive actions that reduced emissions such as updates to development codes, installation of solar panels, electrification of buildings and public transportation improvements. For example, successes included a 600% increase in installed grid-tied solar capacity across Routt County and a 6% increase in public transit ridership in 2023 compared 2018.

Per the 2023 inventory, energy use from commercial and residential buildings remains the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions at 45% of total emissions in Routt County, or 304,014 metric tons. Those emissions primarily come from burning fuels in furnaces and boilers to heat and cool buildings. However, due to the increasingly cleaner electricity grid, the fixed-buildings energy sector decreased emissions by 26% from 2018 to 2023.

The transportation sector was the second largest source of emissions at 37% of the total, or 249,126 metric tons. Transportation data showed a 32% increase in emissions from the 2018 data driven by an increase of 26% in vehicle miles traveled, according to the collaborative.

The collaborative noted the increases in transportation emissions combined with the increase in vehicle miles traveled highlight the importance of alternative transportation options such as public transportation and electric vehicles.

The third largest sector of emissions reported is waste at 9% of total emissions, or 61,408 metric tons, which represents a 10.5% increase in emissions from the 2018 data. The primary source of waste emissions comes from the release of the powerful greenhouse gas methane that occurs when materials decompose in the landfill.

“The increase in waste emissions underlines the importance of continuing to develop initiatives that increase and support recycling, composting and waste reduction,” according to the collaborative.

Across Routt County, electricity use dropped by only 5% from 2018 to 2023, which the collaborative attributes to a “shortfall in the progress of building electrification,” or switching from fossil fuels such as natural gas or propane to electricity to power buildings.

“This emissions trend highlights the need for Routt County, city of Steamboat Springs and towns of Hayden, Oak Creek and Yampa to pursue beneficial electrification for new and existing buildings,” according to the collaborative. “Building electrification is the process of replacing fossil fuel-powered building systems, such as furnaces, water heaters and cooking appliances, with electric alternatives like heat pumps and induction stoves to reduce carbon emissions and improve energy efficiency.”

Consultants Lotus Engineering & Sustainability in Denver performed the emissions inventory update, and nonprofit Yampa Valley Sustainability Council supported outreach and data analysis. YVSC serves as the program management entity for the collaborative.

“In order to maximize the benefit of the greening of the grid and the associated reduction in emissions that can be achieved, building electrification for new and existing buildings should be accelerating and thus electricity use should be increasing year-on-year,” explained Tim Sullivan, YVSC senior director of climate resilience.

“Changes in utilities and the greening of the grid alone are not enough to avoid the worst impacts of climate change,” Sullivan said. “Governments, businesses, organizations and individuals must embrace electrification and adopt additional strategies to effectively address the climate crisis.”

The Climate Action Plan Collaborative will host a public open house to provide sector area updates of Climate Action Plan progress from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Oct. 22 at Library Hall in Steamboat Springs.

In 2021, Routt County, the city of Steamboat Springs and the towns of Hayden, Oak Creek and Yampa adopted the Routt County Climate Action Plan and those municipalities formed the Routt County Climate Action Plan Collaborative. The collaborative board serves in an oversight role in the mission to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Routt County.