Dear Community of Los Alamos,

A group of knowledgeable, concerned citizens is gathering signatures for a petition asking the Los Alamos County Council to appoint a committee to develop a comprehensive resiliency, energy and sustainability plan for our community: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/174BO_GA468aLvGGsbwl25JyQuNiNPAGoDaxDz5b0Xps/edit

Similar plans have already been crafted for Santa Fe, Albuquerque and other New Mexico cities, to address anticipated effects of climate change, and to help meet New Mexico State Climate Change Task Force goals.

Our community has already seen the devastating effects of climate change in the form of heat, drought, and massive, destructive forest fires. Planned new developments and substantial growth of our local population will impact our air quality and energy and water use. It is obvious that these changes affect all members of our community, so a task force that draws in all relevant County agencies as well as residents and businesses is necessary. To date, we have not had this kind of broad effort, but it is surely an approach whose time has come.

While several departments (Utilities, Environmental Services) have plans in place to lower emissions and improve sustainability, broader involvement of departments, residents and businesses is warranted, to be sure that what the County is doing addresses the needs of all and is fair and equitable. Plans in SF and ABQ have shown that this comprehensive approach, with extensive community involvement, is key to arriving at meaningful, balanced ways to reduce greenhouse gases and improve climate change resiliency.

I applaud this group of citizens for crafting a workable plan to set up a task force to address these issues, and encourage all residents who care about the future of Los Alamos (and the world!) to sign the petition: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/174BO_GA468aLvGGsbwl25JyQuNiNPAGoDaxDz5b0Xps/edit

Susan Barns
Los Alamos