Notes from the front: A report on San Miguel County’s climate efforts

Lance Waring

During the recent Mountainfilm festival, climate activist Bill McKibben spoke about the need for swift and decisive action to address global carbon emissions. In his presentation, Mr. McKibben expressed dismay that San Miguel County had just placed a six-month moratorium on commercial-scale solar projects. As one of the three San Miguel County commissioners, his words struck deep. It never feels good to have one of your heroes call you out.

After his talk, I caught up with Mr. McKibben for a follow-up conversation. We discussed many things, including the backstory behind the headline “Pumping the brakes on solar power, county drafts moratorium” found on the front page of the May 26 edition of the Telluride Daily Planet.

I opened by reassuring him the commissioners’ top environmental goal is to make San Miguel County a carbon-neutral organization and that, over the last four years, we’ve made significant progress. The county has approved several small-scale solar generation projects in the region. It has retrofitted existing county buildings with solar panels and physical upgrades to improve energy efficiency. The sheriff's offices and jail in Ilium are solar powered as is the sheriff's new net-zero annex in Norwood. Currently, 70% of the county’s facilities power is fueled by renewable energy. The intent is to reach 100% as soon as possible.

The county also updated its building codes recently to encourage — and sometimes require — additional green building practices. Building code revisions are a continual process, so there’ll be more to come. For private citizens, the county partnered with the state to offer rebates for home solar installations. Again, these efforts will continue.

In the financial realm, the county examined its portfolio in 2022 to confirm there were no carbon-based investments. And five years ago, the county joined the city and county of Boulder in a lawsuit against Suncor and Exxon, asserting these corporations hid knowledge of the negative effects of burning fossil fuels from the public. The suit demands recompense for the expenses these governments had to assume due to climate change, such as wildfires, floods and mudslides. (San Miguel County has a spending cap of $5,000 toward this effort, and the case is grinding through the legal system. If the plaintiffs prevail, it may be a landmark decision and set a precedent for similar claims.)

Clearly San Miguel County is committed to addressing climate change, but there’s always more to be done. For example, there’s currently no language in the county’s Land Use Code specifically addressing the requirements for commercial-scale solar projects. As a commissioner, my primary responsibility is to protect the health, safety and welfare of county residents. I can’t protect those interests effectively if there are no formal guidelines for an applicant or parameters for citizens and the county to weigh the merits and impacts of a potential project. An application process without ground rules is like a game of flamingo croquet between Alice and the Queen of Hearts — frustrating and unfair to all participants.

When Mr. McKibben and I spoke, he acknowledged the need for ground rules, but simultaneously emphasized the need for speed. He reminded me there won’t ever be perfect impact-free solutions and that emergency situations require decisive action by leaders. In response, I promised I’d expedite the process of creating amendments to the County Land Use Code that address commercial-scale solar projects and will continue to push for climate action on all fronts.

Our conversation ended with a firm handshake and me purchasing his most recent book. The inscription reads, “To Lance: With my thanks for joining the fray.” I’m proud to be enlisted as a soldier in Mr. McKibben’s global climate army and I’ll continue to fight in the trenches here in San Miguel County.