Monterey County releases draft Climate Action & Adaptation Plan for 60‑day public review

The Monterey County Board of Supervisors on May 19 authorized staff to release the county’s draft Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAP) for a 60‑day public comment period.

The 200+ page draft includes a 2019 greenhouse‑gas inventory, sectoral strategies and an adaptation framework for wildfire, extreme heat, floods and sea‑level rise. Cora Pantro, the county’s sustainability program manager, summarized the plan’s priorities: reduce vehicle miles traveled through land‑use and active‑transportation investments, accelerate electrification and efficiency in buildings, support climate‑smart agriculture, and expand natural‑and‑working‑land carbon sequestration. Staff told the board the plan meets the county’s general‑plan policy OS10.11 and adopted state targets (40% reduction by 2030; 85% by 2040; and net zero by 2045) when local actions and a natural‑lands sequestration program are counted.

What the draft does: The draft lists dozens of near‑term and longer‑term actions (transportation demand management, EV infrastructure, building electrification, fertilizer/carbon practices in agriculture, and coastal and flood resilience measures) and a monitoring framework. It also identifies an implementation account and preliminary near‑term county staffing and program costs; staff estimated a preliminary near‑term county budget impact of roughly $16.7 million per year for county‑led activities and staff time as a high‑level planning estimate (board members asked for a formal cost‑benefit study for more detailed analysis).

Public and board reaction: Speakers at the meeting included residents, climate‑advocacy groups, agricultural stakeholders and the tourism sector. Several commenters urged rapid adoption and deployment; agricultural representatives requested careful economic analysis and cautioned that some technologies (for example, high‑torque electric farm tractors) remain immature and expensive. The board voted to release the draft for a 60‑day public comment period and directed staff to run an extensive public outreach schedule and return after comments are incorporated.

Provenance: County presentation and board vote to open public comment, May 19, 2026 (topic introduced SEG 7528; board action recorded SEG 8622–8760).

Ending: The draft CAP will be posted for public comment on the county web portal; staff expects to return in the summer with comment summaries and recommended revisions prior to final adoption.