BY KATIE LEONARD
Chair
LARES Task Force

I would like to clarify the goals and intentions of the Los Alamos Resiliency, Energy and Sustainability (LARES) Task Force. LARES is chartered, in a public document available for anyone to view, to come up with recommendations to the County on how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This is primarily for the County and its operations and interactions with the community. Residents, of course, are encouraged to make changes to reduce their carbon footprint as well, but there is no mandate. There will be no “vote soon” to revoke natural gas from homes. No one will force you, an individual citizen, to buy an electric vehicle or to replace the windows in your home with more efficient ones. No one will force you to exchange your gas furnace for a heat pump or your gas stove for an induction range. Composting your food scraps will be an option available to you.

We are trying to figure out how, as a community, we are going to walk into a future with climate change in the most resilient way possible. The LARES recommendations to County Council, which they will study and decide whether to accept or reject, are simply that: recommendations. These recommendations are carefully researched and selected so that they work with our community. 

I encourage residents to read the LARES Interim Report, and to keep in mind that this is the initial draft version of our recommendations. There will certainly be many modifications before the final report. Please email the LARES Task Force with your feedback at lareas.taskforce@lacnm.us. Community input is key to figuring out how we move forward. The final report is due in February of 2022, when it will be presented to the County Council and left with them for action.