Committee on Environmental Protection & Energy City Council October 7, 2020
ORDINANCE
WHEREAS, In the fight against climate change the single scarcest resource is time; and
WHEREAS, The City of Chicago acted to improve air quality and reduce C02 emissions by adopting the recommendations ofthe 2008 Climate Action Plan concerning building energy use through the implementation of Retrofit Chicago, and the passage ofthe Chicago Energy Benchmarking Ordinance in 2013; and
WHEREAS, During the administration of former Mayor Rahm Emanual, the City's Green Ribbon Committee, an advisory coalition of sustainability leaders from corporations and civic organizations was responsible for supporting the implementation ofthe Sustainable Chicago 2015 roadmap; and
WHEREAS, The Green Ribbon Committee published a report on industry best practices of environmental excellence and provided input to the Sustainability Council, a strategic program implementation body comprised of City Department commissioners; and
WHEREAS, In 2017, the City committed to powering all public buildings on 100% renewable energies by 2025, and in 2019, the City launched the Chicago Energy Rating System, and committed to power all buildings on 100% renewable energies by 2035; and
WHEREAS, On January 15, 2020, the Chicago City Council adopted a resolution acknowledging the need for an emergency mobilization to reach zero greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors of the economy; and
WHEREAS, The January 15, 2020 resolution asserted that the process will require unprecedented levels of public awareness, engagement, and deliberation to develop and implement effective, just, and equitable policies to address the climate emergency; and
WHEREAS, Climate mobilization efforts by Chicago's building sector are urgent as buildings account for over 70% of Chicago's current greenhouse gas emissions, 53% of which are C02 emissions; and
WHEREAS, According to Elevate Energy, 90% of low-income Chicago residents experienced an energy burden and were energy insecure in 2019; and
WHEREAS, Chicago households spend an estimated $2,800,000,000 annually on fossil fuels, and most of this spending does nothing to foster economic development in the City; and
WHEREAS, Local building codes, zoning codes, and energy codes around the country are being used to enable and require healthy, energy-efficient, renewably powered, net-zero-energy, all-electric buildings, and EV (electric-vehicle) charging infrastructure; and
WHEREAS, The City's building and zoning codes contain provisions that create barriers to high-performance buildings and renovations; and
WHEREAS, There remains an immense need for cross-departmental coordination to achieve carbon neutrality in the City of Chicago; and
Committee on Environmental Protection & Energy City Council October 7, 2020
WHEREAS, The overlapping crises of our times, the urgency and complexity of Chicago's climate mobilization, and the decades-long sustained effort necessary to address these problems compel the creation of an enduring cross-sector leadership institution focused on the equitable shift to a clean energy economy by 2050; now, therefore
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO:
SECTION 1. Chapter 2-120 ofthe Municipal Code ofthe City of Chicago is hereby amended by deleting the language struck through and inserting the language underscored, as follows:
ARTICLE VI. CHICAGO CLIMATE COMMISSION RESERVED* 2-120-230. Definitions. As used in this Article:
"Commission" means the Chicaqo Climate Commission established bv this Article.
"Decarbonization" means the sustainable reduction or elimination of greenhouse gas emissions from the production of and operation of buildings, and including the reduction ofthe carbon emissions related to the sourcinq of building and manufacturing materials, reduction ofthe emissions caused bv the construction process, electrification of buildings, retrofitting of existing buildings to meet modern sustainability standards, and encouraging the installation of electric connections for vehicles.
2-120-240. Establishment - Powers and duties.
The Chicaqo Climate Commission is hereby established to develop and implement the Decarbonize Chicago Plan, containing analysis and policy recommendations regarding decarbonization and energy use, efficiency, and conservation in buildings.
The Commission shall be comprised ofthe following individuals or their designee: (i) the Chief Sustainability Officer or anv other successor appointed bv the Mayor; (ii) the Chair ofthe Committee on Environmental Protection and Energy: (iii) the Chair ofthe Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards; (iv) the Commissioner of Buildings: (v) the Commissioner of Planning and Development: (vi) the Commissioner of Housing: (vii) the Commissioner of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection; and (viii) the five non-governmental members appointed pursuant to subsection (c) ofthis section.
The Commission shall have powers and duties to:
Establish the bylaws ofthe Commission and select from the governmental members ofthe Commission a Chairperson;
Conduct all meetings ofthe Commission in accordance with the Open Meetings Act;
Create criteria and a process to evaluate candidates for positions as nonÂgovernmental members ofthe Commission;
Appoint the remaining 5 members to the Commission representing environmental organizations: social justice organizations: labor unions: the architecture, engineering, and planning community: and building owners and developers:
Committee on Environmental Protection & Energy City Council October 7, 2020
Publish no later than April 22, 2022, and annually update the Decarbonize Chicaqo
Plan:
Recommend such legislative action as it may deem appropriate to effectuate the Decarbonize Chicaqo Plan:
Review, assess, and advise on Citv plans, policies, procedures, guidance documents, and expenditures, as well as other issues identified and determined bv the Commission to be important to decarbonization and energy use, efficiency, and conservation in buildings, including providing input on the consideration of planned developments at anv public meetings ofthe Chicago Plan Commission or Citv Council Committee on Zoning:
Conduct research in the field of decarbonization and carry out such educational programs as it deems necessary to effect the policy and purpose ofthe Decarbonize Chicago Plan:
Seek and accept offers of gifts or grants from the United States, the State of Illinois, other government entities, their agencies or officers, or from all other available sources of services, eguipment, supplies, materials or funds, and to expend such receipts on projects that implement the Decarbonize Chicaqo Plan: and
(10) Deliver to the Mayor and Citv Council an annual report on the implementation ofthe
Decarbonize Chicago Plan.
The Commission shall meet at least Quarterly. A majority of members ofthe Commission shall constitute a guorum. Members ofthe Commission shall not be compensated bv the Citv for their service on the Commission. Each non-governmental Commission member shall serve for a period of four years from the date of appointment, except that two of the initial appointments as designated bv the Chairperson ofthe Commission shall be for a term of three years, and appointments to fill a vacancy shall be made for the unexpired term. Each Commission member shall serve until a successor has been appointed. Non-governmental Commission members may be removed from the Commission bv a majority vote of Citv Council.
The Committee on Environmental Protection and Energy shall annually convene a hearing on the Commission's annual report reguired under subsection (c)(10) ofthis section.
GEORGE A. CARDENAS Alderman, 12th Ward
SECTION 2. This Ordinance shall take effect after due passage and publication.