INC NEWS - Greenhouse Gas Report Hearing

[pat carstensen]

Below is the press release announcing the public forum and giving further 
details of the event.  The forum is the public’s opportunity to share their 
thoughts about and ideas on how to improve the proposed plan.  It is being 
held on Thursday, June 21, 2007, at 6 p.m. in City Council Chambers, located 
on the first floor of Durham City Hall.  The draft plan can be found at 
www.durhamnc.gov/ghg and at local libraries.   Citizen input is vital for 
the draft plan to be effective.  Thank you.

----------

News Release -- For Details, Contact:

Amy C. Blalock

Public Affairs Specialist

(919) 560-4123 x 253

(919) 475-7735 (cell)

Amy.Blalock at durhamnc.gov



For Immediate Release:  June 11, 2007





Durham Hosts Greenhouse Gas Public Forum June 21

Forum for Residents to Speak on Proposed Action Plan



Durham, N.C. – Greenhouse gas emissions cause climate change, greatly 
affecting our temperatures, agriculture, flooding and droughts, storms and 
hurricanes as well as plant and animal habitats.  As Durham, like many 
communities across the nation, faces climate change and its potential 
dramatic impact, the City and County of Durham and Durham-Chapel 
Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC MPO) are doing their 
part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.



Residents interested in having their voices heard on Durham’s proposed 
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and Local Action Plan will get their 
chance at a public forum scheduled for Thursday, June 21, 2007, at 6 p.m. in 
City Council Chambers, located on the first floor of Durham City Hall.



Hosted by the Durham City-County Environmental Affairs Board on behalf of 
the City of Durham, Durham County, and the DCHC MPO, this public forum will 
include a presentation on Durham’s proposed action plan and an opportunity 
for residents to ask questions and provide comments on the plan.



According to Ellen Beckmann, transportation planner with the Transportation 
Division in the City’s Department of Public Works and the DCHC MPO, the 
Durham community would benefit tremendously beyond just reducing greenhouse 
gas emissions to avoid climate change.  “Apart from Durham’s responsibility 
to do its part to reduce its contribution to global climate change, there 
are numerous other benefits of reducing emissions in the region,” Beckmann 
said.  “Some examples include improved service delivery and efficiency, 
reduced costs on energy bills, improved air quality and public health, 
modernization of facilities and equipment and job creation.”



Residents who attend the public forum will also hear a presentation on the 
science of climate change by Dr. Rob Jackson, Nicholas Chair of Global 
Environmental Change and a professor in the Biology Department and the 
Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences at Duke University.



Residents interested in reviewing the proposed plan can do so online at 
www.durhamnc.gov/ghg.  Hard copies of the current proposal will also be 
available now in all local libraries.  Copies of the proposed plan are 
currently available for $1.50, which is the cost of printing, in the 
Transportation Division of the City’s Department of Public Works, located on 
the fourth floor of City Hall, 101 City Hall Plaza, Durham.  Citizens may 
pay by cash or check if they do not wish to download the report from the 
City’s website.



After the public forum, the final plan will be presented to the Board of the 
DCHC MPO, the Durham City Council and the Durham County Board of County 
Commissioners, with the plan ready for implementation by early fall 2007.



For further information about the public forum or the proposed plan, contact 
Ellen Beckmann at (919) 560-4366, extension 293, via e-mail at 
ellen.beckmann at durhamnc.gov, or visit the City’s website at 
www.durhamnc.gov/ghg.

_________________________________________________________________
Get a preview of Live Earth, the hottest event this summer - only on MSN 
http://liveearth.msn.com?source=msntaglineliveearthhm