Aiming to decrease local reliance on non-renewable energy, the Arrowhead Regional Development Commission (ARDC) and Iron Range Resources investigated local communities’ Comprehensive Plans to determine how many of them addressed energy conservation and efficiency initiatives and to what extent action was taken. They eventually teamed up with the town of Ely, MN to develop an Energy Action Plan (EAP) as an addendum to its Comprehensive Plan.
Curious about how many local communities had addressed energy efficiency and conservation in their Comprehensive Plans, ARDC and Iron Range Resources surveyed governments within the seven counties that their organizations cover (Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake, and St. Louis). A city’s Comprehensive Plan is a document that articulates the vision, goals, and strategies that a community wishes to accomplish in a certain period of time.
ARDC and Iron Range Resources wanted to see if any cities in the area had already implemented an Energy Action Plan (EAP) in their Comprehensive Plans, and if they hadn’t, whether any governments were interested in creating one. Ely, MN applied for the opportunity to develop an EAP as an addendum to the city’s Comprehensive Plan.
The project began in March 2010 with NE CERTs giving the project a $5,000 grant. ARDC worked with the City of Ely, Ely Alternative Energy Taskforce, Energy Efficient Ely (E3), Vermillion Community College, Ely Area Development Association, U.S. Forest Service, local business owners, and many other groups.
In a series of three meeting facilitated by ARDC, representatives from these groups brainstormed, drafted goals, strategies, and action steps, and eventually finalized some of these ideas to be submitted for review to the city council. The proposition of the EAP was then discussed at a public meeting in Ely.
In November 2010, the Ely City Council voted to adopt the addendum to their existing Plan. Since the finalization of the EAP addendum, there has been action taken in Ely. One of the first steps was to perform energy audits on major community spaces. Further funding was also sought to help carry out the EAP. A leader in Minnesota’s northeast—Ely took Energy Action! Will your city?
About the Local Government Energy Action Series:
This effort tells the stories of Minnesota municipalities, counties, and schools and the tangible results of their energy-saving efforts to inspire others to take their own actions.
