The commission unanimously voted in favor of the initiative, which is split into six five-year phases, and sets reduction benchmarks and outlines steps to further reduce greenhouse gases.
The plan focuses on county operations.
"This is kind of a landmark in this county," Commissioner Anna Hamilton said.
The county has been flirting with a robust greenhouse gas reduction plan since 2017, when the commission voted to adopt the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement and joined the global "Race to Zero" pledge, which sets a goal to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The effort picked up momentum in May when the commission voted in favor of publicizing its greenhouse gas emission inventory reports from 2008, 2017 and 2018 and to start researching a reduction plan.
The plan presented to commissioners Tuesday mainly focuses on promoting energy efficiency opportunities and improving best practices within four county sectors: buildings and facilities, water and wastewater, transportation and solid waste.
According to a 2018 report, which county staff members are using to set emissions benchmarks, county facilities and buildings make up the biggest chunk of emissions, pumping out some 55 percent of the nearly 12,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually.
The county's vehicle fleet and water and wastewater activities make up the the majority of the remaining emissions.
Phase one of the plan, which is underway, seeks to reduce emissions by 25 percent by 2025, or about 2,525 metric tons of carbon dioxide. The majority of that reduction will come through facility improvements, some of which are already underway and scheduled for completion by the end of the year.
The move that is expected to have the biggest impact is improvements to the county's Quill Wastewater Treatment Facility, which is expected to cut almost 950 metric tons of carbon dioxide out of the air once it is completed.
The county hopes to chip away at another 15 percent by 2030 in phase two, primarily through the transition of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles to alternative fuels and electric vehicles and the implementation of a carbon removal program. A plan for the remaining phases has not been fully detailed.
County sustainability manager Jaqueline Beam said while the draft should be seen as a roadmap, the county should be prepared to take a few detours. She said the plan will be updated as new technology and research becomes available.
"I think it is important as we look at this plan we really stay focused on what is best for the county and any funding that is available through federal infrastructure opportunities," she said.
Commissioner Anna Hansen said the way in which the reduction plan was created gives the county the flexibility to make changes as new research arises.
She said one of the biggest takeaways from the recent U.N. Climate Change Conference, commonly referred to as COP26, was that local governments would have to lead the way when it comes to dealing with climate change.
"It is good to see a plan because that gives us a road map, and road maps are always a good thing," Hansen said.
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