Sustainability and Energy Action Plan

"IT'S THE CLIMATE" GRANTS PASS SUSTAINABILITY AND ENERGY ACTION PLAN It’s The Climate Grants Pass is a special place. It has historically enjoyed, and economically benefitted from, its mild climate and natural beauty. Without question, both are worth protecting. An appreciation of the uniqueness of the City, as well as an understanding of the threats to the local and larger climate , drove the creation of this Plan, informed its recommendations, and underscores the importance of its adoption. Significant hazards in Grants Pass are: 21 *projected to increase in frequency and/or severity Electrical Grid Flux refers to ongoing changes in the electrical grid due to changing demand, weather, and other factors. The risks presented by these hazards is intensified by several noteworthy vulnerabilities of the City of Grants Pass: ●Economic status – chronic poverty and unemployment in the area results in a population that pays an outsized proportion of their limited income for energy. ●Physical location – Grants Pass’ more rural location within a mountain pass makes it more prone to isolation in the event of natural disaster than its less rural counterparts .Extreme Heat* Wildfires* Winter Storms* Earthquakes (especially the Cascadia Subduction Event )Windstorms* Volatile Fuel PricesElectrical Grid Flux* The Cascadia Subduction Zone is a 9.0+ magnitude earthquake predicted to hit this region within the next 50 years. 20